Investigation of the mechanical properties of graphitic carbon nitride pellet and film by simulation and nanoindentation experiments

In this article, a graphic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) pellet (bulk) and a film on a glass substrate were investigated. Further mechanical properties were extracted with the help of the obtained load–displacement curve. To evaluate the experimental result, commercially available finite-element method was applied using proper ABAQUS simulation procedures. The appropriate boundary conditions were taken into account to get the required load–displacement curve of that material. A conical indenter tip with an angle of 70.2° was used to closely match the tip geometry with the actual tip used in the nanoindentation process. Properties such as hardness, stiffness coefficient, elastic modulus and stress–strain of the material were determined by the load–displacement curve. The relationship between hardness and penetration depth was studied.