Regensburg 2010 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 43: Graphene I

O 43.1: Talk

Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 10:30–10:45, H31

Mechanical characterization of graphenoid nanomembranes from self-assembled monolayers — •Xianghui Zhang, Christoph T. Nottbohm, André Beyer, Andrey Turchanin, and Armin Gölzhäuser — Fäkultät für Physik, Universität Bielefeld, Postfach 10 01 31, 33501, Germany

We report on the fabrication and mechanical characterization of novel graphenoid nanomembranes with a thickness of approximately 1 nm. The nanomembranes are prepared from electron cross-linked aromatic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). After etching the support, the nanomembranes are transferred to window-structured substrates for mechanical characterization. Bulge testing within an atomic force microscope (AFM) is utilized to investigate their mechanical properties. A series of biphenyl-based molecules with different types of terminal groups and/or anchor groups were used to prepare the nanomembranes, such as carbonitrile-biphenyl-trimethoxysilyl (CBPS), biphenylthiol (BPT), nitro-biphenyl-thiol (NBPT) and biphenyl-propanethiol (BP3). Biphenyl-based nanomembranes display elastic moduli ranging from 6 to 12 GPa. Annealing of the cross-linked nanomembranes in ultra high vacuum (UHV) gives rise to a systematic increase of the Young's moduli from 10 GPa to ~45 GPa for an annealing temperature of ~1000 K. Strain relaxation lowers the residual strain from 0.9 % to ~0.35 % for temperatures of 800 K and above. This indicates that the relevant structural transformation is completed at that temperature.