Graphene Kirigami and Metamaterials

Graphene is a two dimensional, atomic scale, hexagonal carbon lattice structure which has great potential for usage as metamaterials. Due to its unique properties of both strength and electrical conductance, extensive research is being done with graphene to create new devices. In our group we are concentrating on exploiting and understanding graphene from the mechanical standpoint and use it to create mechanical metamaterials. The adjacent image is that of a Miura Ori fold and it is an example of mechanical metamaterial and can be made using a simple sheet of paper [Miura Ori folding tutorial]. We intend to use folds such as Miura Ori in conjunction with cuts ( Kirigami ) to develop a programmable -mechanical- metamaterial using graphene sheet.