Atomistic mechanism of the weakened wear resistance of few-layer graphene induced by point defects

Effect of various point defects on the wear properties of few-layer graphene was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. Our results show that the presence of Stone-Wales defect, double vacancies and single vacancy reduces the critical normal load for onset of adhesive wear to 85, 15 and 11% of that of the intact graphene, respectively. The analysis of the potential energy surfaces of defective graphene sheets indicates that it is the highest chemical reactivity induced by point defects that determines the onset of adhesive wear. This study provides an atomic-level understanding for the weakening effects of point defects on the wear resistance of few-layer graphene.