Tuning the graphene mechanical anisotropy via defect engineering

Exceptional mechanical properties of graphene have been extensively studied and leveraged in applications of a broad variety. The fine-tuning of the degree of graphene mechanical anisotropy, however, remains not well understood today. In this paper, a defect engineering strategy is adopted to tune the anisotropic property of monolayer graphene. Mechanical properties of various defect designs, from defect designs consisting of basic elements to more complex patterned graphene kirigami, are systematically discussed and numerically studied using molecular dynamics simulations. A novel stress-ratio-versus-strain-ratio graph is proposed to visualize and rationalize the tuning of mechanical anisotropy of defected graphene sheet. Through our defect designs, all the four quadrants of the 2D ratio graph are covered, indicating a high capability and versatility of fine-tuning the mechanical properties of graphene in different directions. This research, which investigates the tunability of graphene mechanical anisotropy via defect design, sheds light on the new possibility of fine-tuning mechanical properties of other 2D materials and has the potential to improve materials for applications such as stretchable electronics and supercapacitor devices. [Display omitted]