Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Nanomemory Element Based on Boron Nitride Nanotube-to-peapod Transition

We investigated a nonvolatile nanomemory element based on boron nitride nanopeapods using molecular dynamics simulations. The studied system was composed of two boron-nitride nanotubes filled Cu electrodes and fully ionized endo-fullerenes. The two boron-nitride nanotubes were placed face to face and the endo-fullerenes came and went between the two boron-nitride nanotubes under alternatively applied force fields. Since the endo-fullerenes encapsulated in the boron-nitride nanotubes hardly escape from the boron-nitride nanotubes, the studied system can be considered to be a nonvolatile memory device. The minimum potential energies of the memory element were found near the fullerenes attached copper electrodes and the activation energy barrier was . Several switching processes were investigated for external force fields using molecular dynamics simulations. The bit flips were achieved from the external force field of above .