Mechanical properties of graphene

Abstract

This paper reviews the mechanical properties of graphene with particular attention to what is established and what is still uncertain. It clarifies the thickness and the elastic constants, and by also considering also phonon frequencies, it argues that “best values” come from graphite, when available. Properties not available from graphite include bending stiffness; this can be determined from studies of carbon nanotubes as well as graphene. In many ways, nanotubes provide access to fundamental properties of graphene, not least because they are the only form of graphene that can be unsupported (unstrained) in vacuum. Environmental effects are considered, including both interactions with substrates and with other solid and liquid media, which may affect the geometrical parameters defining graphene and associated elastic constants. Major uncertainties persist whether slipping or sticking dominates experimental observation, both between graphene and solid media, and between the layers of bilayer and multilayer graphene. The paper concludes with a short discussion of continuum and atomistic models of graphene.