Stretchiness measurement could improve graphene reach

First isolated at Manchester University in 2004, graphene is a promising material for use in technologies such as transparent, flexible electrodes and nanocomposites. Engineers believe the material holds promise for additional applications, provided they have a better understanding of its mechanical properties, including how it works with other materials.

‘This research tells us how strong the interface is between graphene and a stretchable substrate,’ said Dr. Yong Zhu, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper on the work. ‘Industry can use that to design new flexible or stretchable electronics and nanocomposites. For example, it tells us how much we can deform the material before the interface between graphene and other materials fails. Our research has also demonstrated a useful approach for making graphene-based, stretchable devices by ‘buckling’ the graphene.’

According to NC State, the researchers looked at how a graphene monolayer – a one atom thick layer of graphene– interfaces with an elastic substrate. Specifically, they wanted to know how strong the bond is between the two materials as this will reveal how much strain can be transferred from the substrate to the graphene, thereby determining how far the graphene can be stretched.