Toward a Probe-Based Method for Determining Exfoliation Energies of Lamellar Materials

Published

October 4, 2012

Author(s)

Zhao Z. Deng, Alexander Smolyanitsky, Qunyang Li, Xi-Qiao Feng, Rachel J. Cannara

Abstract

We discuss a potential new measurement application based on nanotribological measurements and simulations of the model lamellar material graphite. While frictional forces always oppose motion, we have observed that friction increases with decreasing load on aged graphite using atomic force microscopy (AFM). This results in an effectively negative nanoscale coefficient of friction. The magnitude of the friction coefficient increases with tip-sample adhesion. Through molecular dynamics and finite element simulations, we have demonstrated that the negative coefficient arises from an increase in out-of-plane deformability of the top layer of graphite with lifting, and is not a result of a variation in atomic corrugation or other material property. Viscoelastic waves which dissipate energy during sliding are more easily generated in the top layer of graphite when it is partially (and reversibly) exfoliated by the AFM tip. As a consequence, the magnitude of the negative friction coefficient is determined by the ratio of the work of adhesion to the exfoliation energy, providing a potential pathway toward the use of friction force microscopy for straightforward determination of the exfoliation energies of lamellar materials.

Proceedings Title

Nanotechnology (IEEE-NANO), 2012 12th IEEE Conference on

Conference Dates

August 20-23, 2012

Conference Location

Birmingham, UK

Conference Title

12th International Conference on Nanotechnology

Pub Type

Conferences

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1109/NANO.2012.6321953

Local Download

Citation

Deng, Z. , Smolyanitsky, A. , Li, Q. , Feng, X. and Cannara, R. (2012), Toward a Probe-Based Method for Determining Exfoliation Energies of Lamellar Materials, Nanotechnology (IEEE-NANO), 2012 12th IEEE Conference on, Birmingham, UK, [online], https://doi.org/10.1109/NANO.2012.6321953, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=912661 (Accessed December 13, 2024)