Carbon Nanoscrolls at High Impacts: A Molecular Dynamics Investigation

Author(s)

de Sousa, Jose Moreira ^[1] ; Machado, Leonardo Dantas ^{[1, 2]} ; Woellner, Cristiano Francisco ^[1] ; da Silva Autreto, Pedro Alves ^{[1, 3]} ; Galvao, Douglas S. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Fis Gleb Wataghin, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Norte, Dept Fis Teor & Expt, BR-59072970 Natal, RN - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed ABC, BR-09210580 Santo Andre, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: MRS ADVANCES; v. 1, n. 20, p. 1423-1428, 2016.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The behavior of nanostructures under high strain-rate conditions has been object of interest in recent years. For instance, recent experimental investigations showed that at high velocity impacts carbon nanotubes can unzip resulting into graphene nanoribbons. Carbon nanoscrolls (CNS) are among the structures whose high impact behavior has not yet been investigated. CNS are graphene membranes rolled up into papyrus-like structures. Their unique open-ended topology leads to properties not found in close-ended structures, such as nanotubes. Here we report a fully atomistic reactive molecular dynamics study on the behavior of CNS colliding at high velocities against solid targets. Our results show that the velocity and scroll axis orientation are key parameters to determine the resulting formed nanostructures after impact. The relative orientation of the scroll open ends and the substrate is also very important. We observed that for appropriate velocities and orientations, the nanoscrolls can experience large structural deformations and large-scale fractures. We have also observed unscrolling (scrolls going back to planar or quasi-planar graphene membranes), unzip resulting into nanoribbons, and significant reconstructions from breaking and/or formation of new chemical bonds. Another interesting result was that if the CNS impact the substrate with their open ends, for certain velocities, fused scroll walls were observed. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/08293-7 - CCES - Center for Computational Engineering and Sciences
• Grantee: Munir Salomao Skaf
• Support type: Research Grants - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers - RIDC
• FAPESP's process: 14/24547-1 - Theoretical investigations on growth and fracture mechanisms of graphene-based nanostructures
• Grantee: Cristiano Francisco Woellner
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate