Nanomechanical properties of few-layer graphene membranes

TL;DR

This study measures the mechanical properties of few-layer graphene membranes, revealing how bending rigidity and tension depend on thickness, and predicts their high-frequency resonance capabilities.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed measurement of bending rigidity and tension in few-layer graphene membranes using atomic force microscopy.

Findings

Bending rigidity and tension depend strongly on the number of layers.

Predicted resonance frequencies reach the GHz range.

Mechanical properties vary significantly for flakes down to eight layers.

Abstract

We have measured the mechanical properties of few-layer graphene and graphite flakes that are suspended over circular holes. The spatial profile of the flake's spring constant is measured with an atomic force microscope. The bending rigidity of and the tension in the membranes are extracted by fitting a continuum model to the data. For flakes down to eight graphene layers, both parameters show a strong thickness-dependence. We predict fundamental resonance frequencies of these nanodrums in the GHz range based on the measured bending rigidity and tension.