Reversible mechanical bistability of single-walled carbon nanotubes under axial strain

Using Brenner's second generation reactive empirical bond order potential, we show by molecular dynamics that the single-walled carbon nanotube with a diameter of about 5 nm under axial strain possesses excellent reversible mechanical bistability. This feature provides a high potential of using only one single-walled carbon nanotube to realize bistate functions in nanomechanical systems which will benefit from smaller size significantly. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.