The team’s work focuses on the elastic moduli, and other effective mechanical parameters, of single layer graphene sheets (a one-atom-thick planar sheet of sp²-bonded carbon atoms, densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice), which have been a subject of intensive research in recent years.
In their paper, the team propose truss-type analytical models and an approach based on cellular material mechanics theory, to describe the in-plane linear elastic properties of the single layer graphene sheets.
The team’s work ultimately aims to understand the mechanical properties of graphene, a fundamental building block of many carbon-based nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes. This understanding will enable designing nanostructures and devices with superior strength, stiffness and performance.
Nanotechnology’s 2009 highlights are available online.