On Mechanical Properties of Graphene Sheet Estimated Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

This work reports estimation of mechanical properties, particularly Young’s modulus of a single-layered graphene sheet by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation-based four different approaches, viz. tensile modeling, bending modeling, oscillation modeling and equilibrium MD modeling. The Young’s modulus is estimated to be of the order of some TPa. The equilibrium MD method has yielded a Young’s modulus value lower than the other non-equilibrium methods, due to the absence of any external forcing factor. Among the non-equilibrium MD methods, the bending modeling is found to predict the highest value of Young’s modulus. Comparison among different non-equilibrium methods has established the effect of strain rate on the estimated value of the Young’s modulus. The MD simulation-based approaches adopted here can be useful for the design of graphene and graphene-based materials in advanced mechanical applications.