Molecular dynamics investigation of pull-in instability in graphene sheet under electrostatic and van der Waals forces

This paper investigates the pull-in instability of graphene sheets. The influence of geometry parameters such as chirality of graphene and length to gap ratio is studied using molecular dynamics (MD). For molecular interactions, the AIREBO potential is used. Furthermore, by applying the electrostatic and van der Waals (vdW) forces, pull-in voltages are calculated. Size effect is estimated, with adding the fringing field effect correction factor to the electrostatic force. In MD simulations, the graphene sheets on the armchair and zigzag structure have been investigated. The results show that the closer the moving electrode to the fixed electrode, the greater the effect of van der Waals force than the electrostatic force. The results also represent that the vdW force and fringing effect on the electrostatic load increases the pull-in deflection and decrease the pull-in voltage. The numerical results of the present study show good agreement with previous analytical and experimental researches.