Abstract Graphene is one of the key building blocks for a broad range of flexible/stretchable electronics and has great potential as a solid lubricant in flexible micro/nanoelectromechanical systems, soft robot and microfluidic devices due to their excellent electrical, mechanical and tribological properties. The nanotribological properties of graphene on soft elastic substrate were studied using the calibrated atomic force microscopy (AFM). The nanotribological properties of graphene on soft elastic substrate were enhanced by the elastic deformation compared with the hard SiO2/Si substrate. Also the friction force of graphene on soft elastic substrate decreases with the increase of the thickness and shows a sub-linear dependence on the indentation depth. A novel model of the elastic deformation enhancing puckering effect was proposed to explain the nanotribological properties of graphene on soft elastic substrate. The atomic-scale frictional behaviors of graphene on soft elastic substrate confirmed the mechanism of the elastic deformation enhanced puckering effect. These studies can provide a fundamental understanding of graphene as a solid lubricant on soft elastic substrate for graphene-based flexible MEMS/NEMS devices.

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石墨烯在软弹性基材上的纳米摩擦学表征

摘要 石墨烯是广泛的柔性/可拉伸电子产品的关键构建块之一，由于其优异的电气、机械和摩擦学特性，在柔性微/纳米机电系统、软机器人和微流体设备中作为固体润滑剂具有巨大的潜力。使用校准原子力显微镜 (AFM) 研究了石墨烯在软弹性基材上的纳米摩擦学特性。与硬质 SiO2/Si 基板相比，弹性变形增强了石墨烯在软质弹性基板上的纳米摩擦学性能。此外，石墨烯在软弹性基底上的摩擦力随着厚度的增加而减小，并且表现出对压痕深度的亚线性依赖性。提出了一种新的弹性变形增强褶皱效应模型来解释石墨烯在软弹性基材上的纳米摩擦学特性。石墨烯在软弹性基底上的原子级摩擦行为证实了弹性变形增强起皱效应的机制。这些研究可以提供对石墨烯作为软弹性基板上的固体润滑剂的基本理解，用于基于石墨烯的柔性 MEMS/NEMS 设备。