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Virginia Tech

Mechanics, Design, and Fabrication of Metal-Graphene Composites

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

In the last decade, metal-graphene composites have seen significant progress and have received increasing attention because of graphene's ability to improve the mechanical properties. The main mechanism of improvement in metal graphene composite is based on the impeding of dislocations by graphene sheets. The work includes studying the mechanisms behind the improvement caused by graphene sheets and particles using Molecular Dynamics and Density Functional Theory. Interatomic potentials that play an important role in determining the accuracy of Molecular dynamics simulations are developed for Cu-C, Ni-C, Ti-C, and Ni-Ti-C systems. Nanolayered metal-graphene composites are fabricated and the effect of graphene particles on crack's path are investigated by electron microscopy. The mechanisms behind crack's behavior is investigated by atomistic simulations and by comparing energy release rates. Metallic systems that do not deform by dislocations like metallic glasses, NiTi etc. are reinforced with graphene and are also examined by atomistic simulations. In addition, a novel metal-graphene composite in which the metal matrix undergoes a uniform large recoverable phase transformation when subjected to mechanical loading is proposed and investigated using atomistic simulations. The material has the potential to overcome the long-standing challenge of transferring the extraordinary mechanical performance of nanoscale materials to the bulk level.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Doctor of Philosophy
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Mechanical Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Mechanical Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2023

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Agrawal, Arpit Kumar
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Shahab, Shima
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Ahmadian, Mehdi
  • Li, Ling
  • Murayama, Mitsuhiro

Subjects

dc:subject × 7

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:36565
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/115292

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Agrawal, Arpit Kumar. Mechanics, Design, and Fabrication of Metal-Graphene Composites. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2023. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/115292