Forces and Heat to Build and See the Nano-World

Abstract

Understanding and manipulating solids and liquids at the nanoscale is a matter of continuously growing scientific and technological interest. Complex nanoscale interfaces and materials with reduced dimensionality not only present beautiful and sometimes unexpected new science but they are also relevant for applications in biomedical engineering, micro/nano-fluidics, and nanoelectronics. Here, we present a new method to perform sub-Å-resolution indentations to measure the perpendicular-to-the-plane elasticity in 2D materials and nanotubes [1], and its implications for graphene and graphene oxide films. This method, called Å-indentation goes beyond the standard nanoindentation approach and allows for high resolution elasticity measurements of films that are atomically thin and extremely stiff. Our indentation data, combined with semi-analytical models and density functional theory are then used to study the perpendicular elasticity of a few-layers thick graphene and graphene oxide films. We find that the perpendicular Young’s modulus of graphene oxide films reaches a maximum when one complete water layer is intercalated between the graphitic planes. This non-destructive methodology can map interlayer coupling and intercalation in 2D films. In the second part of my talk, I will overview our recent work on thermochemical scanning probe lithography [2], TC-SPL, for diverse applications in nanoelectronics and biomedical engineering. 1. “Elastic coupling between layers in two-dimensional materials” Nature Materials 14 (7), 714-720 (2015) 2. “Advanced Scanning Probe Lithography”, Nature Nanotechnology, 9, 577 (2014)