Graphene membrane as a pressure gauge

TL;DR

This paper explores how graphene membranes can serve as sensitive pressure gauges by analyzing how their electronic resistance changes with applied pressure, revealing linear and non-linear responses based on bubble size.

Contribution

It demonstrates the potential of graphene membranes for pressure sensing through resistance changes, highlighting the effects of bubble size on response linearity and gauge factor.

Findings

Resistance changes linearly with pressure for small bubbles

Non-linear resistance response occurs in larger, stretched bubbles

High gauge factors indicate strong sensitivity of graphene pressure sensors

Abstract

Straining graphene results in the appearance of a pseudo-magnetic field which alters its local electronic properties. Applying a pressure difference between the two sides of the membrane causes it to bend/bulge resulting in a resistance change. We find that the resistance changes linearly with pressure for bubbles of small radius while the response becomes non-linear for bubbles that stretch almost to the edges of the sample. This is explained as due to the strong interference of propagating electronic modes inside the bubble. Our calculations show that high gauge factors can be obtained in this way which makes graphene a good candidate for pressure sensing.