Issue 41, 2016

Ultra-thin graphene–polymer heterostructure membranes

Abstract

The fabrication of arrays of ultra-thin conductive membranes remains a major challenge in realising large-scale micro/nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), since processing-stress and stiction issues limit the precision and yield in assembling suspended structures. We present the fabrication and mechanical characterisation of a suspended graphene–polymer heterostructure membrane that aims to tackle the prevailing challenge of constructing high yield membranes with minimal compromise to the mechanical properties of graphene. The fabrication method enables suspended membrane structures that can be multiplexed over wafer-scales with 100% yield. We apply a micro-blister inflation technique to measure the in-plane elastic modulus of pure graphene and of heterostructure membranes with a thickness of 18 nm to 235 nm, which ranges from the 2-dimensional (2d) modulus of bare graphene at 173 ± 55 N m−1 to the bulk elastic modulus of the polymer (Parylene-C) as 3.6 ± 0.5 GPa as a function of film thickness. Different ratios of graphene to polymer thickness yield different deflection mechanisms and adhesion and delamination effects which are consistent with the transition from a membrane to a plate model. This system reveals the ability to precisely tune the mechanical properties of ultra-thin conductive membranes according to their applications.

Graphical abstract: Ultra-thin graphene–polymer heterostructure membranes

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
09 Aug 2016
Accepted
02 Sep 2016
First published
05 Sep 2016
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale, 2016,8, 17928-17939

Ultra-thin graphene–polymer heterostructure membranes

C. N. Berger, M. Dirschka and A. Vijayaraghavan, Nanoscale, 2016, 8, 17928 DOI: 10.1039/C6NR06316K

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