Atomistic simulations of tension-induced large deformation and stretchability in graphene kirigami

Zenan Qi, David K. Campbell, and Harold S. Park
Phys. Rev. B 90, 245437 – Published 30 December 2014

Abstract

Graphene's exceptional mechanical properties, including its highest-known stiffness (1 TPa) and strength (100 GPa), have been exploited for various structural applications. However, graphene is also known to be quite brittle, with experimentally measured tensile fracture strains that do not exceed a few percent. In this work, we introduce the notion of graphene kirigami, where concepts that have been used almost exclusively for macroscale structures are applied to dramatically enhance the stretchability of both zigzag and armchair graphene. Specifically, we show using classical molecular-dynamics simulations that the yield and fracture strains of graphene can be enhanced by about a factor of 3 using kirigami as compared to standard monolayer graphene. Finally, we demonstrate that this enhanced ductility in graphene may open up interesting opportunities in coupling to graphene's electronic behavior.

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  • Received 30 July 2014
  • Revised 13 September 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.245437

©2014 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Zenan Qi1,*, David K. Campbell2,†, and Harold S. Park1,‡

  • 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
  • 2Department of Physics, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA

  • *zenanqi@bu.edu
  • dkcampbe@bu.edu
  • Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed: parkhs@bu.edu

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Issue

Vol. 90, Iss. 24 — 15 December 2014

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