title: Materials science. Dynamic mechanical behavior of multilayer graphene via supersonic projectile penetration.
abstract: Multilayer graphene is an exceptional anisotropic material due to its layered structure composed of two-dimensional carbon lattices. Although the intrinsic mechanical properties of graphene have been investigated at quasi-static conditions, its behavior under extreme dynamic conditions has not yet been studied. We report the high-strain-rate behavior of multilayer graphene over a range of thicknesses from 10 to 100 nanometers by using miniaturized ballistic tests. Tensile stretching of the membrane into a cone shape is followed by initiation of radial cracks that approximately follow crystallographic directions and extend outward well beyond the impact area. The specific penetration energy for multilayer graphene is ~10 times more than literature values for macroscopic steel sheets at 600 meters per second.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA. Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. leejh@umass.edu elt@rice.edu.
authors.forename: Jae-Hwang
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Phillip E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Loya
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA. leejh@umass.edu elt@rice.edu.
authors.forename: Edwin L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Thomas