The roles of crosslinks in the buckling behaviors and load transferring mechanisms of double-walled nanotubes under compression

► Buckling behaviors and load transfer of crosslinked DWNTs under uniaxial compressive loads are studied by MD simulation. ► Inter-tube crosslinks reduce the buckling stress of nanotube dramatically while only modestly reduce the Young's modulus. ► Compressive stress applied to the outer tube can be efficiently transferred to the inner tube through the covalent bonds. ► DWNTs with higher crosslink density have better load transfer performance.