Ultrahigh-strain ferroelasticity in two-dimensional honeycomb monolayers: from covalent to metallic bonding

We propose a possible ferroelastic switching pathway of two-dimensional (2D) honeycomb lattice (including graphene, BN, stanene, etc.) that may swap its armchair and zigzag direction, reversing an unprecedented strain of 73.2%. Our ab initio calculations reveal that such pathway cannot work in covalent systems like graphene and BN; for monolayer with metallic bonds like stanene, stanane and InBi that have all been synthesized, however, such pathway can be feasible with a low switching barrier (<0.15 eV) and stress (