Effect of electric field on persistent current of boron nitride nanotubes

• For (m,m) ABNNTs, persistent current shows paramagnetism.
• Magnetism of (m,0) ZBNNTs is determined by the modulus of m with respect to three.
• Electric field enhances the current amplitudes for both ABNNTs and ZBNNTs.
• Only for ZBNNTs, electric field changes magnetism and symmetry in current–flux curve.

We study the effect of transverse electric field on persistent currents of armchair and zigzag boron nitride nanotubes (ABNNTs and ZBNNTs) threaded by longitudinal magnetic field within the tight-binding model. In the absence of electric field, the persistent current of (m,m) ABNNTs has a weak amplitude decaying exponentially with nanotube׳s radius and shows paramagnetism. For (m,0) ZBNNTs, the current amplitude and magnetism are determined by the modulus of m with respect to three. Electric field could enhance the current amplitude of both ZBNNTs and ABNNTs, but could not change the magnetism of ABNNTs. However, for ZBNNTs, electric field could further change the magnetism and the symmetry in the current–flux curves that is pronouncedly associated with nanotube׳s geometry.