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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Exploring The Electrical Properties Of Twisted Bilayer Graphene, William Shannon May 2019

Exploring The Electrical Properties Of Twisted Bilayer Graphene, William Shannon

Senior Theses

Two-dimensional materials exhibit properties unlike anything else seen in conventional substances. Electrons in these materials are confined to move only in the plane. In order to explore the effects of these materials, we have built apparatus and refined procedures with which to create two-dimensional structures. Two-dimensional devices have been made using exfoliated graphene and placed on gold contacts. Their topography has been observed using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) confirming samples with monolayer, bilayer, and twisted bilayer structure. Relative work functions of each have been measured using Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) showing that twisted bilayer graphene has a surface potential …


Enhanced Flexoelectricity At Reduced Dimensions Revealed By Mechanically Tunable Quantum Tunnelling, Saikat Das, Bo Wang, Tula R. Paudel, Sung Min Park, Evgeny Y. Tsymbal, Long-Qing Chen, Daesu Lee, Tae Won Noh Feb 2019

Enhanced Flexoelectricity At Reduced Dimensions Revealed By Mechanically Tunable Quantum Tunnelling, Saikat Das, Bo Wang, Tula R. Paudel, Sung Min Park, Evgeny Y. Tsymbal, Long-Qing Chen, Daesu Lee, Tae Won Noh

Evgeny Tsymbal Publications

Flexoelectricity is a universal electromechanical coupling effect whereby all dielectric materials polarise in response to strain gradients. In particular, nanoscale flexoelectricity promises exotic phenomena and functions, but reliable characterisation methods are required to unlock its potential. Here, we report anomalous mechanical control of quantum tunnelling that allows for characterising nanoscale flexoelectricity. By applying strain gradients with an atomic force microscope tip, we systematically polarise an ultrathin film of otherwise nonpolar SrTiO3, and simultaneously measure tunnel current across it. The measured tunnel current exhibits critical behaviour as a function of strain gradients, which manifests large modification of tunnel barrier …


Focused Electron-Beam-Induced Deposition For Fabrication Of Highly Durable And Sensitive Metallic Afm-Ir Probes, Wen Qian, Shuo Sun, Jingfeng Song, Charles Nguyen, Stephen Ducharme, Joesph A. Turner Jan 2018

Focused Electron-Beam-Induced Deposition For Fabrication Of Highly Durable And Sensitive Metallic Afm-Ir Probes, Wen Qian, Shuo Sun, Jingfeng Song, Charles Nguyen, Stephen Ducharme, Joesph A. Turner

Stephen Ducharme Publications

We report on the fabrication of metallic, ultra-sharp atomic force microscope tips for localized nanoscale infrared (IR) spectrum measurements by using focused electron-beam-induced deposition of platinum or tungsten. The tip length can be controlled by changing the duration time of the electron beam. Probes of 12.0 ± 5.0 nm radius-of-curvature can be routinely produced with high repeatability and near-100% yield. The near-field-enhancement appears stronger at the extremity of the metallic tip, compared with commercial pristine silicon-nitride probe tip. Finally, the performance of the modified metallic tips is demonstrated by imaging PVDF and PMMA thin films, which shows that spatial resolution …


Nanomechanics Of Flexoelectric Switching, J. Očenášek, Haidong Lu, C. W. Bark, Chang-Beom Eom, J. Alcalá, G. Catalan, Alexei Gruverman Jul 2015

Nanomechanics Of Flexoelectric Switching, J. Očenášek, Haidong Lu, C. W. Bark, Chang-Beom Eom, J. Alcalá, G. Catalan, Alexei Gruverman

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

We examine the phenomenon of flexoelectric switching of polarization in ultrathin films of barium titanate induced by a tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM). The spatial distribution of the tip-induced flexoelectricity is computationally modeled both for perpendicular mechanical load (point measurements) and for sliding load (scanning measurements), and compared with experiments. We find that (i) perpendicular load does not lead to stable ferroelectric switching in contrast to the load applied in the sliding contact load regime, due to nontrivial differences between the strain distributions in both regimes: ferroelectric switching for the perpendicular load mode is impaired by a strain …


Characterization Of Polylactic Acid Films For Food Packaging As Affected By Dielectric Barrier Discharge Atmospheric Plasma, Shashi Pankaj, Luke O'Neill, N. Misra, Paula Bourke Oct 2013

Characterization Of Polylactic Acid Films For Food Packaging As Affected By Dielectric Barrier Discharge Atmospheric Plasma, Shashi Pankaj, Luke O'Neill, N. Misra, Paula Bourke

Articles

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) air plasma is a novel technique for in-package decontamination of food, but it has not been yet applied to the packaging material. Characterization of commercial polylactic acid (PLA) films was done after in-package DBD plasma treatment at different voltage and treatment time to evaluate its suitability as food packaging material. DBD plasma increased the roughness of PLA film mainly at the site in contact with high voltage electrode at both the voltage levels of 70 and 80 kV. DBD plasma treatments did not induce any change in the glass transition temperature, but significant increase in the …


A Novel Integrated Platform Combining Atomic Force Microscopy And Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy, Venkatesh Subba Rao Jan 2011

A Novel Integrated Platform Combining Atomic Force Microscopy And Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy, Venkatesh Subba Rao

Wayne State University Dissertations

At the nanoscale near an interface, the discrete nature of liquids is expected to influence various properties, such as density, viscosity or diffusion constants. Understanding interfacial properties of liquids is important for the development of nanotechnology, especially for the fields of nano-rheology and nano-tribology, and also for understanding various mechanisms in biological systems at the molecular level, such as protein folding or the self-assembly of lipid vesicles, which invariably involve liquids. Atomic force microscope (AFM) and fluorescence correlation spectroscope (FCS) are two complimentary techniques that are commonly employed investigate mechanics and dynamics of liquids at interfaces. In this thesis, the …


Measuring The Nanomechanics Of Nanoconfined Water Layers, Shah Haidar Khan Jan 2010

Measuring The Nanomechanics Of Nanoconfined Water Layers, Shah Haidar Khan

Wayne State University Dissertations

Nanoconfined water has been the subject of special interest due to its applications in various fields such as biology, geology, medicine, and engineering tribology. While there is a general agreement on the layering of water molecules along atomically smooth surfaces, the behavior and properties of nanoconfined water is still poorly understood. A significant controversy exists whether there is a phase transformation imposed by confinement. We have measured the stiffness and damping coefficient of nanoconfined water using a small amplitude (0.5-1 Å) atomic force microscope. The results were analyzed with the help of two viscoelastic models, the Kelvin model and the …