Recent nanoindentation experiments on graphene have revealed its exceptional strength, making it an excellent candidate for the design of nano devices such as MEMS and pressure sensors. Therefore, it is critical to understand the mechanical properties of graphene, and its response to a wide range of loading pressures beyond the elastic regime. In this work we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the nanoindentation of graphene membranes by a spherical indenter. The indentation curves (load vs. indentation depth) obtained from simulations revealed two regimes of response: linear for smaller, and non-linear for larger indentation depths respectively. The MD results are in good agreement with the theory of elastic plates and recent experiments. Using the kinetic theory of fracture, we were able to determine the breaking strength of graphene and its dependence on the indenter radius. MD simulations also provided an atomic-scale description of the breaking process, which occurs through crack formation and propagation in graphene.

Every atom of graphene, a monolayer of graphite, belongs to the surface. Therefore, the environment of graphene -- the substrate onto which graphene is deposited and the coating on top of graphene -- intimately affects the properties of graphene. In this talk, we demonstrate that both mechanical and electrical properties of graphene can be tuned by varying the environment of graphene.

To study the mechanical properties of graphene, we developed a novel technique that is based on measuring the temperature-dependent deflection of a “bimetallic” cantilever composed of graphene and silicon nitride or gold layers. We demonstrate that the built-in strain, the substrate adhesion force and even the thermal expansion coefficient of graphene depend on the substrate under it.

To study the electrical properties of graphene in various environments, we developed a technique to fabricate electrically contacted multiterminal suspended graphene devices that are submerged into liquids. We explore the dependence of electron mobility of graphene on dielectric constant and ionic concentration of liquids surrounding graphene. We find that ions in liquids can cause strong scattering in graphene and that very large values of mobility (>40,000 cm^2/Vs) can be achieved in ion-free liquids.

It has long been predicted by Peierls, Landau, and Mermin that infinite two-dimensional solids are unstable and should melt at any finite temperature. The stability of graphene, a two-dimensional layer of carbon atoms, is thus explained by the presence of an additional degree of freedom that allows it to buckle in the third direction normal to the 2-D perfect plane. We performed large-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of graphene melting in order to provide a fundamental insight into the stability of graphene, as well as to investigate the nature of the defects naturally created by thermal excitations at high temperatures. We will discuss the types of defects appearing before melting, the atomic-scale mechanisms of melting, and the nature of the resulting carbon melt. In addition, the graphene melting in 3D space versus 2D-constrained melting is also discussed. The importance of a proper description of chemical bonding in graphene at high temperatures is illustrated using different interatomic potentials: the reactive bond order (REBO) potential and the newly developed screened environment dependent SED-REBO. Comparisons with other recent simulations of graphene melting (including those using the LCBOPII potential for carbon) are also presented.