Elastic properties of single-layered graphene sheet

An atomistic simulation method is adopted to investigate the elastic characteristics of defect-free single-layered graphene sheet (SLGS). To this end, the equivalent structural beam is employed to model interatomic forces of the covalently bonded carbon atoms. The beam properties are computed by considering the covalent bond stiffnesses. To calculate the Young's modulus, shear modulus and Poisson's ratio of the SLGS, the equivalent continuum sheet model is proposed and the effect of chirality on the SLGS elastic properties is examined. It is perceived that there exists a good agreement between the atomistic modeling results and the data available in the literature. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.