Fracture toughness of 2D materials in Mode I (K IC) has been measured directly by stretching pre-cracked layers and monitoring crack propagation in real-time. MD simulations as well as molecular mechanics simulations have also been used to calculate fracture toughness in Mode I. In anisotropic materials, such as phosphorene, crack propagation was found to happen preferentially along certain directions. Most 2D materials were found to undergo brittle fracture.