Position-dependent mechanical responses of nanoindented graphene nanoribbons: Molecular dynamics study

Abstract

We performed MD simulations of nanoindentation on a single layer graphene nanoribbon in order to obtain the tip-position-dependent mechanical properties of the graphene nanoribbon. A correlation between the load and the indentation depth was constructed. Also, the bending rigidity, the Young’s modulus and the strength of the graphene nanoribbon were obtained. Our results yielded the tip position dependence of the Young’s modulus for the graphene nanoribbon. The Young’s modulus of the graphene nanoribbon was calculated by using the lowest value when the tip’s position was in the center region of the graphene nanoribbon, and as the tip’s position moved away from the center, the Young’s modulus increased. These results gave interesting insight as to why the Young’s moduli obtained from experiments were different from one another. The change in the mechanical properties of the graphene nanoribbon due to the change in the tip’s position can also lead to a novel graphene-based nanoelectromechanical device.