Significance analysis of the attenuation coefficient of vibrations in a boron nitride–carbon nanotube under buckling and fracture: A molecular dynamics study

Boron nitride–carbon nanotubes (BN–CNTs), serving as nanomass sensors, exhibit fatigue characteristics, such as buckling or bond breakage, under impact from measured particles. However, the impact of such damage on the functionality of BN–CNTs remains unclear. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the performance of BN–CNTs mass sensors under impact by C60 particles, focusing on three critical states: buckling, bond breakage, and coexisting buckling and bond breakage. An analysis of the impact stress and mass responsivity shows that damaged beams have a lower mass detection capability than undamaged beams. The results of a paired t-test and an analysis of the decay coefficients and vibration frequencies of damaged nanobeams show that damaged nanobeams have a significantly lower quality factor than undamaged nanobeams. We use an energy equation to analyze the impact process of nanobeams for the first time, revealing that the change in the potential energy of the beam is a crucial influence factor of the beam critical state. This study provides insights into the damage to nanoscale mass sensors caused by impact.