Atomic-scale simulations of radiation effects in GaN and carbon nanotubes

Gallium nitride and carbon nanotubes have received wide interest in the materials research community since the mid-1990's. The former material is already in use in optoelectronics applications, while the latter is considered to be extremely promising in a wide range of materials. Common to both materials is that ion irradiation may be useful for modifying their properties. In this paper we overview our recent molecular dynamics simulations results on ion irradiation of these materials. We employ such potentials to study the basic physics of how ion irradiation affects these materials. In particular we discuss the reasons for the high radiation hardness of GaN, and the surprising nature of vacancies and interstitials in carbon nanotube