The effect of rippling on the mechanical properties of graphene
Graphene is the stiffest material known so far but, due to its one-atom thickness, it is also very bendable. Consequently, free-standing graphene exhibit ripples that has major effects on its elastic properties. Here we will summarize three experiments where the influence of rippling is essential to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Nano Materials Science |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589965121000234 |
| _version_ | 1818338687860080640 |
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| author | Guillermo Lopez-Polin Cristina Gomez-Navarro Julio Gomez-Herrero |
| author_facet | Guillermo Lopez-Polin Cristina Gomez-Navarro Julio Gomez-Herrero |
| author_sort | Guillermo Lopez-Polin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Graphene is the stiffest material known so far but, due to its one-atom thickness, it is also very bendable. Consequently, free-standing graphene exhibit ripples that has major effects on its elastic properties. Here we will summarize three experiments where the influence of rippling is essential to address the results. Firstly, we observed that atomic vacancies lessen the negative thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of free-standing graphene. We also observed an increase of the Young's modulus with global applied strain and with the introduction of small density defects that we attributed to the decrease of rippling. Here, we will focus on a surprising feature observed in the data: the experiments consistently indicate that only the rippling with wavelengths between 5 and 10 nm influences the mechanics of graphene. The rippling responsible of the negative TEC and anomalous elasticity is thought to be dynamic, i.e. flexural phonons. However, flexural phonons with these wavelengths should have minor effects on the mechanics of graphene, therefore other mechanisms must be considered to address our observations. We propose static ripples as one of the key elements to correctly understand the thermomechanics of graphene and suggest that rippling arises naturally due to a competition of symmetry breaking and anharmonic fluctuations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T15:15:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f9df653c8f29478a90636c7b5f257195 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2589-9651 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T15:15:05Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nano Materials Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-f9df653c8f29478a90636c7b5f2571952022-12-21T23:40:44ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Nano Materials Science2589-96512022-03-01411826The effect of rippling on the mechanical properties of grapheneGuillermo Lopez-Polin0Cristina Gomez-Navarro1Julio Gomez-Herrero2Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, Madrid, E 28049, Spain; Departamento de Física de La Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, E-28049, Spain; Corresponding author. Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, Madrid, E 28049, Spain.Departamento de Física de La Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, E-28049, Spain; IFIMAC Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC). Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, E-28049, SpainDepartamento de Física de La Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, E-28049, Spain; IFIMAC Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC). Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, E-28049, SpainGraphene is the stiffest material known so far but, due to its one-atom thickness, it is also very bendable. Consequently, free-standing graphene exhibit ripples that has major effects on its elastic properties. Here we will summarize three experiments where the influence of rippling is essential to address the results. Firstly, we observed that atomic vacancies lessen the negative thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of free-standing graphene. We also observed an increase of the Young's modulus with global applied strain and with the introduction of small density defects that we attributed to the decrease of rippling. Here, we will focus on a surprising feature observed in the data: the experiments consistently indicate that only the rippling with wavelengths between 5 and 10 nm influences the mechanics of graphene. The rippling responsible of the negative TEC and anomalous elasticity is thought to be dynamic, i.e. flexural phonons. However, flexural phonons with these wavelengths should have minor effects on the mechanics of graphene, therefore other mechanisms must be considered to address our observations. We propose static ripples as one of the key elements to correctly understand the thermomechanics of graphene and suggest that rippling arises naturally due to a competition of symmetry breaking and anharmonic fluctuations.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589965121000234GrapheneMechanical propertiesAtomic force microscopyDefectsRipplesStrain |
| spellingShingle | Guillermo Lopez-Polin Cristina Gomez-Navarro Julio Gomez-Herrero The effect of rippling on the mechanical properties of graphene Nano Materials Science Graphene Mechanical properties Atomic force microscopy Defects Ripples Strain |
| title | The effect of rippling on the mechanical properties of graphene |
| title_full | The effect of rippling on the mechanical properties of graphene |
| title_fullStr | The effect of rippling on the mechanical properties of graphene |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of rippling on the mechanical properties of graphene |
| title_short | The effect of rippling on the mechanical properties of graphene |
| title_sort | effect of rippling on the mechanical properties of graphene |
| topic | Graphene Mechanical properties Atomic force microscopy Defects Ripples Strain |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589965121000234 |
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