Thickness dependence of the mechanical properties of free-standing graphene oxide papers

Graphene oxide (GO) papers are candidates for structural materials in modern technology due to their high specific strength and stiffness. The relationship between their mechanical properties and structure needs to be systematically investigated before they can be applied to the broad range fields where they have potential. Herein, the mechanical properties of GO papers with various thicknesses (0.5-100 μm) are investigated using bulge and tensile test methods; this includes the Young's modulus, fracture strength, fracture strain, and toughness. The Young's modulus, fracture strength, and toughness are found to decrease with increasing thickness, with the first two exhibiting differences by a factor of four. In contrast, the fracture strain slightly increases with thickness. Transmission electron, scanning electron, and atomic force microscopy indicate that the mechanical properties vary with thickness due to variations in the inner structure and surface morphology, such as crack formation and surface roughness. Thicker GO papers are weaker because they contain more voids that are produced during the fabrication process. Surface wrinkles and residual stress are found to result in increased fracture strain. Determination of this structure-property relationship provide improved guidelines for the use of GO-based thin-film materials in mechanical structures. The mechanical properties of graphene oxide (GO) papers are shown to be thickness-dependent. This dependence arises from the micro- and macrostructure formed during the fabrication process; microscopy studies reveal that corrugations, void defects, and surface wrinkles all influence the mechanical properties. Establishing this structure-property relationship is expected to enable improved guidelines for the application of GO to mechanical structures.