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Electric-Carrying Nanofriction Properties of Atomic-Scale Steps on Graphene

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Abstract

The electric-carrying nanofriction properties of graphene are vitally important in the reliability and lifetime of graphene-based micro-/nanoelectromechanical systems. However, ubiquitous atomic-scale steps on graphene have an impact on their friction properties. In this work, electric-carrying nanofriction properties of atomic-scale steps on graphene were studied using the conductive atomic force microscope. Lateral force at uncovered step increased noticeably with the increasing voltages. Electrostatic interaction between the tip and dangling bonds along the step edges significantly increases the lateral force. In contrast, the lateral force of covered steps has only a slight increase as the voltage increases. In addition, oxidation of graphene is more likely to occur at uncovered step due to water molecules adsorbed by dangling bonds. The observations provide a deeper insight into the frictional behavior of atomic-scale steps on graphene.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51775105, 51905089, 51675097), the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (Grant No. 17ZR1400700), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and DHU Distinguished Young Professor Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for High Performance Fiber Composites, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China

    Yitian Peng

  2. College of Mechanical Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China

    Yuxiang Zhang, Yitian Peng, Haojie Lang, Yao Huang & Xing’an Cao

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  1. Yuxiang Zhang
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Zhang, Y., Peng, Y., Lang, H. et al. Electric-Carrying Nanofriction Properties of Atomic-Scale Steps on Graphene. Tribol Lett 68, 121 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-020-01365-y

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