Temperature Dependent Mechanical and Structural Properties of Uniaxially Strained Planar Graphene

Abstract: Using molecular dynamics simulations in a planar graphene sheet, we investigate the temperature dependence of its mechanical behavior under uniaxial tensile stress applied either along the armchair or the zigzag direction. Stress-strain curves are calculated for different temperatures and the corresponding dependence of various elastic parameters, like the Young modulus, the third-order elastic modulus, the tensile strength and failure strain, is presented. Fracture stress and strain, as well as the Young modulus, decrease almost linearly with temperature. The distributions of bond lengths and bond angles at different strains and temperatures are also discussed and approximate analytical expressions are presented. The latter describe accurately the numerically obtained distributions.