Supersonic impact

Abstract

Science 346, 1092–1096 (2014)Nano- and micromechanical testing of graphene have previously revealed a number of attractive properties, including exceptional strength and stiffness, attributable to the covalent bonding between carbon atoms in the single-atom layer. So far its mechanical properties have been mainly investigated under quasistatic loading; response to dynamic loads is relatively unknown. Jae-Hwang Lee and colleagues now explore this regime by performing impact testing by firing single micrometre-sized silica spheres at supersonic speeds at multilayer graphene, achieving strain rates of ~107 s−1. They report that the penetra…