Grain Growth in Graphene: Novel Aspects in Two Dimensions

This award supports collaboration among three investigators on the modeling, analysis, and simulation of the behavior of sheets of graphene and similar materials interacting with other sheets or substrates. A graphene sheet is a single-atom-thick macromolecule of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. Hailed as the first truly two-dimensional material, graphene has been intensively studied since 2004 when individual graphene sheets were first isolated, a Nobel-prize-winning achievement. This research is motivated in large part by the exceptional physical properties of graphene and its potential applications in engineering and materials science. Experimental work confirms that the novel electronic properties of graphene, as well as its optical and thermal properties, are strongly coupled to deformation, deviations from perfect crystallinity, and the presence of defects such as wrinkles and grain boundaries. The project will use mathematical modeling and scientific computation to study these phenomena. It will provide rigorous insight and fundamental scientific understanding supporting applications of graphene sheets and related carbon macromolecules to develop new materials and technologies.