Regensburg 2007 – scientific programme
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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik
CPP 31: New Materials
CPP 31.3: Talk
Friday, March 30, 2007, 11:00–11:15, H40
Formation and properties of monomolecular nanomembranes — •Andre Beyer1, Christoph T. Nottbohm1, Berthold Völkel1, Wolfgang Eck2, and Armin Gölzhäuser1 — 1Physik Supramolekularer Systeme, Universität Bielefeld, Universitätsstr. 25, D-33615 Bielefeld (Germany) — 2Institute for Molecular Biophysics, The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609 (USA)
Recently, a new way was found to reduce the thickness of polymerized nanomembranes to about 1 nm [1]. These membranes can be clamped over several micrometer wide openings and withstand pressures as high as 10 kPa. They are made from self-assembled monolayers which form stable nanosheets by crosslinking with electrons. Freestanding nanomembranes can be fabricated by preparing nanosheets on silicon nitride membranes which are supported by a silicon frame. After dissolving the silicon nitride, the nanosheets of monomolecular thickness remain clamped over the silicon frame.
In this contribution, we will discuss the fabrication of such nanomembranes as well as first measurements of their mechanical properties. We designed a pressure cell that allows bulge tests with an atomic force microscope. The latter is necessary to determine the membrane deflection. Bulge tests, i.e. measurements of the deflection as a function of an applied pressure difference, allow us to determine the biaxial modulus, changes of the mechanical properties in time and the critical tension at which the nanomembranes start to rupture.
[1] W. Eck, A. Küller, M. Grunze, B. Völkel, and A. Gölzhäuser, Advanced Materials 17, 2583 (2005).