Universal inverse-cube thickness scaling of projectile penetration energy in ultrathin films

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Zaccone, Alessio, Sirk, Tim W.
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2026
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author Zaccone, Alessio
Sirk, Tim W.
author_facet Zaccone, Alessio
Sirk, Tim W.
contents Ultrathin films of widely different materials exhibit a dramatic enhancement of projectile penetration resistance under high--velocity impact. Despite extensive simulations and experiments, a unifying physical explanation has remained elusive. Here we show that the thickness dependence of the specific penetration energy obeys a universal law, $E_p^*(h)=E_{p,\infty}^*+B h^{-3}$, independent of chemical composition and degree of disorder. The inverse--cube scaling is traced back to a finite--size correction to the effective shear modulus arising from the suppression of long--wavelength nonaffine deformation modes in confined solids. The scaling quantitatively describes impact data for multilayer graphene, graphene oxide, and polymer thin films, revealing a common elastic origin for nanoscale impact resistance.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_22207
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Universal inverse-cube thickness scaling of projectile penetration energy in ultrathin films
Zaccone, Alessio
Sirk, Tim W.
Materials Science
Disordered Systems and Neural Networks
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Soft Condensed Matter
Applied Physics
Ultrathin films of widely different materials exhibit a dramatic enhancement of projectile penetration resistance under high--velocity impact. Despite extensive simulations and experiments, a unifying physical explanation has remained elusive. Here we show that the thickness dependence of the specific penetration energy obeys a universal law, $E_p^*(h)=E_{p,\infty}^*+B h^{-3}$, independent of chemical composition and degree of disorder. The inverse--cube scaling is traced back to a finite--size correction to the effective shear modulus arising from the suppression of long--wavelength nonaffine deformation modes in confined solids. The scaling quantitatively describes impact data for multilayer graphene, graphene oxide, and polymer thin films, revealing a common elastic origin for nanoscale impact resistance.
title Universal inverse-cube thickness scaling of projectile penetration energy in ultrathin films
topic Materials Science
Disordered Systems and Neural Networks
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Soft Condensed Matter
Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.22207