Electromechanical piezoresistive sensing in suspended graphene membranes

Nano Lett. 2013 Jul 10;13(7):3237-42. doi: 10.1021/nl401352k. Epub 2013 Jun 24.

Abstract

Monolayer graphene exhibits exceptional electronic and mechanical properties, making it a very promising material for nanoelectromechanical devices. Here, we conclusively demonstrate the piezoresistive effect in graphene in a nanoelectromechanical membrane configuration that provides direct electrical readout of pressure to strain transduction. This makes it highly relevant for an important class of nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) transducers. This demonstration is consistent with our simulations and previously reported gauge factors and simulation values. The membrane in our experiment acts as a strain gauge independent of crystallographic orientation and allows for aggressive size scalability. When compared with conventional pressure sensors, the sensors have orders of magnitude higher sensitivity per unit area.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Conductometry / instrumentation*
  • Elastic Modulus
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Graphite / chemistry*
  • Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems / instrumentation*
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Nanoparticles / ultrastructure
  • Nanotechnology / instrumentation*
  • Pressure
  • Transducers, Pressure*

Substances

  • Graphite