Mechanochemical reaction in graphane under uniaxial tension

TL;DR

This study uses quantum-mechanochemical simulations to explore how hydrogenation affects the mechanical properties and failure modes of graphene and graphane under uniaxial tension, revealing structure-sensitive behavior.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed comparison of deformation behaviors in graphene and graphane, highlighting the influence of hydrogenation on mechanical response and failure mechanisms.

Findings

Graphane exhibits lower mechanical resistance than graphene.

Deformation modes differ significantly between zg and ach orientations.

Hydrogenation alters failure patterns, reducing anisotropy in mechanical behavior.

Abstract

The quantum-mechanochemical-reaction-coordinate simulations have been performed to investigate the mechanical properties of hydrogen functionalized graphene. The simulations disclosed atomically matched peculiarities that accompany the deformation-failure-rupture process occurred in the body. A comparative study of the deformation peculiarities related to equi-carbon-core (5,5) nanographene and nanographane sheets exhibited a high stiffness of both bodies that is provided by the related hexagon units, namely benzenoid and cyclohexanoid, respectively. The two units are characterized by anisotropy in the microscopic behavior under elongation along mechanochemical internal coordinates when the later are oriented either along (zg) or normally (ach) to the C-C bonds chain. The unit feature in combination with different configuration of their packing with respect to the body C-C bond chains forms the ground for the structure-sensitive mechanical behavior that is different for zg and ach deformation modes. Hydrogenation of graphene drastically influences behavior and numerical characteristics of the body making tricotage-like pattern of the graphene failure less pronounced and inverting it from the zg to ach mode as well as providing less mechanical resistance of graphane it total.