Molecular dynamics study on the C₆₀ oscillator in a graphene nanoribbon trench

Here, we present a C₆₀ oscillator encapsulated in a graphene nanoribbon (GNR) trench. The mechanisms of the C₆₀/GNR-trench oscillators are the same as those of the multi-walled carbon nanotube (CNT) oscillators. While the array synthesis of these CNT oscillators is very difficult, the same GNR trench array can be implemented by using current nanofabrication processes. The oscillatory behaviors of a C₆₀ oscillator sucked into a GNR trench were investigated in impulse dynamics via classical molecular dynamics simulations. The oscillatory motions of the C₆₀ oscillator in the GNR trench can be controlled by using the length and the width of the trench as structural parameters because the restoring forces acting on the C₆₀ oscillator are related to the width of the GNR trench and the length of the GNR trench is the direct distance of motion of the C₆₀ oscillator during translation. C₆₀/GNR-trench nanostructures have a wide range of applications in nanotechnology, such as shuttle memories and switches, sensors, and oscillators.