Journal
ACS NANO
Volume 16, Issue 4, Pages 6145-6152Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c11616
Keywords
graphene blister; graphene-substrate interaction; graphene semipermeable membrane; graphene defects; graphene in acids; in situ microscopy
Categories
Funding
- STROBE
- National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center [DMR 1548924]
- Bakar Fellows Award
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study reports that acidic solutions can induce the fast generation of solution-enclosing blisters on monolayer and few-layer graphene on silicon and glass substrates. The graphene blisters are nanoscale to micrometer-sized and are universally generated on hydrophilic surfaces. The blisters are highly dynamic and can be modulated by solution osmotic pressure.
We report that for monolayer and few-layer graphene on common silicon and glass substrates, acidic solutions induce fast, spontaneous generation of solution-enclosing blisters/bubbles. Using interference reflection microscopy, we monitor the blister-generating process in situ and show that at pH < similar to 2, nanoscale to micrometer-sized graphene blisters, up to similar to 100 nm in height, are universally generated with high surface coverages on hydrophilic, but not hydrophobic, surfaces. The spontaneously generated blisters are highly dynamic, with growth, merging, and reconfiguration occurring at second-to-minute time scales. Moreover, we show that in this dynamic system, graphene behaves as a semipermeable membrane that allows the relatively free passing of water, impeded passing of the NaCl solute, and no passing of large dye molecules. Consequently, the blister volumes can be fast and reversibly modulated by the solution osmotic pressure.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available