Mechanical Properties of Suspended Graphene Sheets
Document Type
Article
Department
Physics (Pomona)
Publication Date
12-11-2007
Keywords
atomic force microscopy, beams (structures), carbon, nanostructured materials, sheet materials, suspensions (mechanical components), thin films, Young's modulus
Abstract
Using an atomic force microscope, we measured effective spring constants of stacks of graphene sheets (less than 5) suspended over photolithographically defined trenches in silicon dioxide. Measurements were made on layered graphene sheets of thicknesses between 2 and 8 nm, with measured spring constants scaling as expected with the dimensions of the suspended section, ranging from 1 to 5 N/m. When our data are fitted to a model for doubly clamped beams under tension, we extract a Young’s modulus of 0.5 TPa, compared to 1 TPa for bulk graphite along the basal plane, and tensions on the order of 10−7 N.
Rights Information
© 2007 American Vacuum Society
Recommended Citation
Frank, I.W., D.M. Tanenbaum, A.M. van der Zande, P.L. McEuen. "Mechanical Properties of Suspended Graphene Sheets," in Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, Vol. 25, No. 6. Papers from the 51st International Conference on Electron, Ion, and Photon Beam Technology and Nanofabrication/Nanodevices. J.Vac.Sci.Technol. B 25, 2558 (2007); doi: 10.1116/1.2789446
