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Title: Stacking order dependent mechanical properties of graphene/MoS{sub 2} bilayer and trilayer heterostructures

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4928752· OSTI ID:22489123
 [1]
  1. U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21005 (United States)

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS{sub 2}) are two-dimensional materials that show promise for flexible electronics and piezoelectric applications, but their weak mechanical strength is a barrier to practical use. In this work, we perform nanoindentation simulations using atomistic molecular dynamics to study the mechanical properties of heterostructures formed by combining MoS{sub 2} with graphene. We consider both bi- and tri-layer heterostructures formed with MoS{sub 2} either supported or encapsulated by graphene. Mechanical properties, such as Young's modulus, bending modulus, ultimate tensile strength, and fracture strain, are extracted from nanoindentation simulations and compared to the monolayer and homogeneous bilayer systems. We observed that the heterostructures, regardless of the stacking order, are mechanically more robust than the mono- and bi-layer MoS{sub 2}, mainly due to the mechanical reinforcement provided by the graphene layer. The magnitudes of ultimate strength and fracture strain are similar for both the bi- and tri-layer heterostructures, but substantially larger than either the mono- and bi-layer MoS{sub 2}. Our results demonstrate the potential of graphene-based heterostructures to improve the mechanical properties of TMDC materials.

OSTI ID:
22489123
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 107, Issue 7; Other Information: (c) 2015 U.S. Government; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English