  Buckling is one of the most common phenomena in atomic-thick layered
structures like graphene. While the buckling phenomenon usually causes disaster
for most nano-devices, we illustrate one positive application of the buckled
graphene for energy harvest, storage, and conversion. More specifically, we
perform molecular dynamical simulations to show that the buckled graphene can
be used to collect the wasted mechanical energy and store the energy in the
form of internal knotting potential. Through strain engineering, the knotting
potential can be converted into useful kinetic (thermal) energy that is highly
concentrated at the free edges of the buckled graphene. The present study
demonstrates potential applications of the buckled graphene for converting the
dispersed wasted mechanical energy into the concentrated useful kinetic
(thermal) energy.
