Atomistic simulations of tension-induced large deformation and stretchability in graphene kirigami

Graphene's exceptional mechanical properties, including its highest-known stiffness (1 TPa) and strength (100 GPa), have been exploited for various structural applications. However, graphene is also known to be quite brittle, with experimentally measured tensile fracture strains that do not exceed a few percent. In this work, we introduce the notion of graphene kirigami, where concepts that have been used almost exclusively for macroscale structures are applied to dramatically enhance the stretchability of both zigzag and armchair graphene. Specifically, we show using classical molecular-dynamics simulations that the yield and fracture strains of graphene can be enhanced by about a factor of 3 using kirigami as compared to standard monolayer graphene. Finally, we demonstrate that this enhanced ductility in graphene may open up interesting opportunities in coupling to graphene's electronic behavior.