Nano-mapping of Surface and Subsurface Physical Properties of 2D materials

Kolosov, Oleg Victor and Kay, Nicholas and Spiece, Jean and Alsharif, Ghazi and Robinson, Benjamin James and Dinelli, Franco (2016) Nano-mapping of Surface and Subsurface Physical Properties of 2D materials. In: UNSPECIFIED.

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Abstract

A massive interest in two-dimensional materials (2DM) triggered by graphene (GR) discovery1 is fueled by the unique electronic, mechanical and thermal properties of these few-atomic-layers-thick materials. While electronic properties of graphene and other 2DM’s such as MoS2, WS, Bi2Se3, were extensively studied, their mechanical and thermal properties, equally record-breaking, are much less explored, due to inadequate tools for nanoscale probing of physical properties of atomically thin layers. Here we overcome this by combining atomic force microscopy (AFM) with specialist nanomechanical, nanothermal and nanoelectrical probes. By applying these to the single and few layer Gr and MoS2 we were able to explore the nanomechanical interaction of 2DM’s and the substrate, including layers adhesion and stresses; observe internal defects in the few layer 2DM’s, and defect movement under applied strain; map the nanoscale distribution, and quantify electrical charges trapped at the 2DM-substrate interface; observe with microscale and nanoscale resolution local electrical and thermal transport in these materials.