Engineering Graphene Mechanical
Systems
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Abstract
We report a method to introduce direct bonding between
graphene
platelets that enables the transformation of a multilayer chemically
modified graphene (CMG) film from a “paper mache-like”
structure into a stiff, high strength material. On the basis of chemical/defect
manipulation and recrystallization, this technique allows wide-range
engineering of mechanical properties (stiffness, strength, density,
and built-in stress) in ultrathin CMG films. A dramatic increase in
the Young’s modulus (up to 800 GPa) and enhanced strength (sustainable
stress ≥1 GPa) due to cross-linking, in combination with high
tensile stress, produced high-performance (quality factor of 31 000
at room temperature) radio frequency nanomechanical resonators. The
ability to fine-tune intraplatelet mechanical properties through chemical
modification and to locally activate direct carbon–carbon bonding
within carbon-based nanomaterials will transform these systems into
true “materials-by-design” for nanomechanics