Stability characteristics of single-layered silicon carbide nanosheets under uniaxial compression

Abstract

The buckling behavior of single-layered silicon carbide nanosheets (SLSiCNSs) is investigated by employing an atomistic finite element model. Preserving the discrete nature of nanosheets, the beam elements are used to model the Si-C bounds. The effects of aspect ratio and boundary conditions on the stability of zigzag and armchair SLSiCNSs have been studied. Based on the results, it is observed that the buckling forces of small sheets are strongly size-dependent. However, the size-dependent behavior will diminish for larger sheets. Comparing the buckling force of armchair and zigzag nanosheets with same geometries and boundary conditions shows that the buckling force is independent of chirality. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.