Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Graphene Kirigami And Its Use In Biocompatible Strain Sensor, Erik Vyhmeister

Honors Theses

Graphene's large fracture strain (>30%), chemical inertness, and piezoresistive nature make it well suited for use as a biocompatible strain sensor. A rectangular multilayer strucutre with graphene as its operative component was designed. It consists of a bottom layer of SU-8, a center layer of graphene, and a top layer of SU-8 and gold, with gold acting as the electrical contact. Kirigami-style patterning is applied via photolithography and oxygen plasma etching, allowing for a greater fracture strain. Additionally, the kirigami affects the stress concentraton in the graphene, affecting its piezoresistive gauge factor. The complete (patterned) structure exhibited a fracture …