A molecular mechanics analysis of the buckling behavior of carbon nanorings under tension

A molecular mechanics computation is used here to study the mechanical properties of carbon nanorings (5, 5) formed by bending a single-walled armchair carbon nanotube. The critical tension displacements are reported through the calculation of the strain energy for a carbon nanoring subjected to uniform tension on its two symmetrical sides. The buckling shapes of nanorings with odd numbers of units and even numbers of units are also investigated, with the former found to be symmetrical and the latter unsymmetrical.