Elastic properties of boron-nitride nanotubes through the continuum lattice approach

The stress-deformation behaviour obtained from the continuum lattice thermodynamic approach was applied to estimate the elastic properties of two-dimensional boron-nitride crystals such as nanotubes and a plain sheet. The Tersoff-Brenner potential was used to describe interaction between boron and nitrogen atoms. Here a few potential parameters have been modified to fit the cohesive energy and the bond length of boron-nitride. The Young's moduli and the Poisson's ratio of the boron-nitride crystals determined by the continuum approach were comparable to both experimental and theoretical ones in literature. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.