title: Stretching and breaking of ultrathin MoS2.
abstract: We report on measurements of the stiffness and breaking strength of monolayer MoS(2), a new semiconducting analogue of graphene. Single and bilayer MoS(2) is exfoliated from bulk and transferred to a substrate containing an array of microfabricated circular holes. The resulting suspended, free-standing membranes are deformed and eventually broken using an atomic force microscope. We find that the in-plane stiffness of monolayer MoS(2) is 180 ± 60 Nm(-1), corresponding to an effective Young's modulus of 270 ± 100 GPa, which is comparable to that of steel. Breaking occurs at an effective strain between 6 and 11% with the average breaking strength of 15 ± 3 Nm(-1) (23 GPa). The strength of strongest monolayer membranes is 11% of its Young's modulus, corresponding to the upper theoretical limit which indicates that the material can be highly crystalline and almost defect-free. Our results show that monolayer MoS(2) could be suitable for a variety of applications such as reinforcing elements in composites and for fabrication of flexible electronic devices.
authors.affiliation: Electrical Engineering Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bertolazzi
authors.forename: Jacopo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brivio
authors.forename: Andras
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kis
mesh_terms: D004220:Disulfides / Q000737:chemistry*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D008982:Molybdenum / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013499:Surface Properties; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D004220:Disulfides; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008982:Molybdenum; C082964:molybdenum disulfide