This paper investigates the elastic properties and stretchability of free-standing single-crystalline monolayer graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition. Using in situ tensile tests within a scanning electron microscope, the authors report a Young's modulus close to 1 TPa and an engineering tensile strength of ~50-60 GPa with elastic strain up to ~6%. These findings highlight the near-ideal mechanical performance of monolayer graphene, even with edge defects, demonstrating its resilience and suitability for flexible electronics and mechatronics applications.

Ke Cao, Shizhe Feng, Ying Han, Libo Gao, Thuc Hue Ly, Zhiping Xu, Yang Lu