ABSTRACT
Graphene—a monolayer of covalently bonded carbon atoms—represents a new two-dimensional (2D) material with unique mechanical and physical properties, which are of utmost interest for a wide range of functional and structural applications (for an extended discussion, see References 1–3). First of all, graphene shows outstanding electron transport properties having a great potential for nanoelectronics and optoelectronics [1,2]. In addition, graphene is specified by an extremely high Young modulus and superior (highest ever measured) tensile strength [3,4]. These exceptional mechanical properties of graphene are very important for both its structural applications and exploitation in graphene-based electronic devices whose lifetime is highly sensitive to mechanical properties. Consequently, graphene with its remarkable physical and mechanical properties has attracted exponentially growing attention in fundamental and applied sciences alike.
