Behaviour of a bucky-ball under extreme internal and external pressures

Abstract

We study the behaviour of the C 60 molecule under very high internal or external pressure using Tersoff as well as Brenner potentials. As a result, we estimate the critical internal and external pressures that lead to its instability. We also calculate stretching force constant and bulk modulus of this molecule at several pressures under which the molecule remains stable. The values of these estimated here at zero pressure agree closely with those obtained in earlier calculations. We also observe that at high pressures, a finite value of parameter 3 λ of Tersoff potential gives physically acceptable results in contrast to its value zero, which is usually taken for the carbon systems.