English

Negative Poisson's ratio materials via isotropic interactions

Materials Science 2009-11-13 v1 Statistical Mechanics

Abstract

We show that under tension, a classical many-body system with only isotropic pair interactions in a crystalline state can, counterintutively, have a negative Poisson's ratio, or auxetic behavior. We derive the conditions under which the triangular lattice in two dimensions and lattices with cubic symmetry in three dimensions exhibit a negative Poisson's ratio. In the former case, the simple Lennard-Jones potential can give rise to auxetic behavior. In the latter case, negative Poisson's ratio can be exhibited even when the material is constrained to be elastically isotropic.

Cite

@article{arxiv.0807.3562,
  title  = {Negative Poisson's ratio materials via isotropic interactions},
  author = {Mikael C. Rechtsman and Frank H. Stillinger and Salvatore Torquato},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0807.3562},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

10 pages, 2 figures, accepted in Physical Review Letters

R2 v1 2026-06-21T11:03:17.115Z