Soliton instability and fold formation in laterally compressed few-layer graphene

摘要: We investigate -- through simulations and analytical calculations the consequences of uniaxial lateral compression applied to upper layer few-layer graphene. The compressed graphene show that strains larger than 2.8 \% induce soliton-like deformations further develop into large, mobile folds. Such folds were indeed experimentally observed in other solid lubricants two-dimensional materials. Interestingly, soliton-fold regime shear stress decreases with strain s, initially as $s^{-2/3}$ rapidly going zero. instability is consistent recently negative dynamic compressibility also predict curvatures soliton-folds are given by $r_c = \delta\sqrt{\beta/2\alpha},$ where $1\le \delta \le2,$ $\beta$ $\alpha$ respectively related bending modulus exfoliation energy material. This finding might allow experimental estimates $\beta/\alpha$ ratio materials from fold morphology.