Threshold displacement energy of amorphous SiO2: A molecular dynamics study

•Developed a new method to construct the structure of amorphous SiO2.•Found the linear dependence of the TDE of O atoms on the Si–O–Si bond angles.•Discovered the increase of the attraction exerted on the central O atom as the Si–O–Si bond angle increases.•Predicted higher TDE values and higher radiation resistance of SiO2 at annealing temperature ranging from 3000 to 3500 K.