Graphene membranes are adhered to substrates with patterned microcavities of prescribed volumes. By controlling the gas pressure within the microcavity, the membrane can be made to bulge and delaminate in a stable manner from the substrate. We study the analytical mechanics of this system, which is combined with experimental measurement to determine the elasticity of graphene and the adhesion energy between a substrate and a graphene (or other two-dimensional solid) membrane. A different microcavity configuration with a post in the center was also used, to study the pull-in behavior of graphene, which allows the determination of interfacial forces between two-dimensional nanomaterials and substrates.
References:
X. Liu, N.G. Boddeti, M.R. Szpunar, L. Wang, M.A. Rodriguez, R. Long, J. Xiao, M.L. Dunn, and J.S. Bunch, Observation of Pull-in Instability in Graphene Membranes under Interfacial Forces, Nano Letters (accepted)
N. G. Boddeti, S. P. Koenig, R. Long, J. Xiao, J. S. Bunch, and M. L. Dunn, Mechanics of Pressurized Graphene Blisters, Journal of Applied Mechanics-Transactions of the ASME (accepted)