'Guided' Fractures in Graphene Mechanical Diode-like Structures

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that graphene membranes with specific void patterns can exhibit diode-like fracture behavior, where cracks preferentially propagate in one direction, showing potential for nanoscale mechanical rectification.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of guided fractures in graphene, revealing how void spacing influences fracture rectification at the nanoscale.

Findings

Fracture propagation can be directed along preferred paths in graphene.

Optimal void spacing enhances fracture rectification.

Robust rectification effects are observed in atomistic simulations.

Abstract

The concept of the diode is usually applied to electronic and thermal devices but very rarely for mechanical ones. A recently proposed fracture rectification effect in polymer-based structures with triangular voids defects has motivated us to test these ideas at the nanoscale using graphene membranes. Using fully-atomistic reactive molecular dynamics simulations we showed that robust rectification-like effects exist. The fracture can be 'guided' to easier propagate along one specific direction than its opposite. We also observed that there is an optimal value for the spacing between each void for the rectification effect.