J. Phys. Chem. C 126, 7184–7192 (2022)
Rui Xu, Yingzhuo Lun, Lan Meng, Fei Pang, Yuhao Pan, Zhiyue Zheng, Le Lei, Sabir Hussain, Yanjun Li, Yasuhiro Sugawara, Jiawang Hong, Wei Ji & Zhihai Cheng*
Abstract
Strain engineering plays a crucial role in controlling the physical properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials. However, the mechanical behavior of stressed 2D crystals has not been fully understood. In this study, the fracture behavior and accompanying properties of a strained single-crystal monolayer WS2 of submicron scale were investigated using a theoretical–experimental joint study. After thermal strain, the WS2 monolayer was split into different forms by several cracks, with the cause of the crack formation being studied using finite element analysis (FEA). The cracks were initiated from the vertex of the nucleation center, extending along the stronger von Mises stress isolines and terminating at the edges of the monolayers. Within the separate sections, ripple regions were observed, forming several typical nanopatterns. The band gap, frictional, viscosity, and elasticity characteristics of the different strain regions were also investigated. The nanopattern should enable flexibility in the design of more sophisticated devices based on 2D materials.
