Stress Waves and Characteristics of Zigzag and Armchair Silicene Nanoribbons

The mechanical properties of silicene nanostructures subject to tensile loading were studied via a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The effects of temperature on Young's modulus and the fracture strain of silicene with armchair and zigzag types were examined. The maximum in-plane stress and the corresponding critical strain of the armchair and the zigzag silicene sheets at 300 K were 8.85 and 10.62, and 0.187 and 0.244 N/m, respectively. The in-plane stresses of the silicene sheet in the armchair direction at the temperatures of 300, 400, 500, and 600 K were 8.85, 8.50, 8.26, and 7.79 N/m, respectively. The in-plane stresses of the silicene sheet in the zigzag direction at the temperatures of 300, 400, 500, and 600 K were 10.62, 9.92, 9.64, and 9.27 N/m, respectively. The improved mechanical properties can be calculated in a silicene sheet yielded in the zigzag direction compared with the tensile loading in the armchair direction. The wrinklons and waves were observed at the shear band across the center zone of the silicene sheet. These results provide useful information about the mechanical and fracture behaviors of silicene for engineering applications.