Ballistic graphene array for ultra-high pressure sensing

Abstract

Atomically thin two-dimensional materials such as graphene exhibit extremely high-pressure sensitivity compared to the commercially used pressure sensors due to their high surface-to-volume ratio and excellent mechanical properties. The smaller piezoresistance of graphene across different transport regimes limits its pressure sensitivity compared to other two-dimensional materials. Using membrane theory and thin-film adhesivity model, we show miniaturization as means to enhance the overall performance of graphene pressure sensors. Our findings reveal that ballistic graphene can be configured to measure ultra-high pressure (≈ 10 9 Pa) with many-fold higher sensitivity per unit area than quasi-ballistic graphene, diffusive graphene, and thin layers of transition metal dichalcogenides. Based on these findings, we propose an array of ballistic graphene sensors with extremely high-pressure sensitivity and ultra high-pressure range that will find applications in next-generation NEMS pressure sensors. The performance parameters of the array sensors can be further enhanced by reducing the size of graphene membranes and increasing the number of sensors in the array. The methodology developed in this paper can be used to explore similar applications using other two-dimensional materials.

Silicene for flexible electronics

“…Nevertheless, silicene is an atomically-thin membrane and is expected to have a high value of adhesivity (like most of the similar 2D materials) [48] and elasticity [34]. Thus, silicene is expected to have a very high-pressure sensitivity like graphene [23] and PtSe 2 [49,50] despite a low GF.…”

“…In the last few years, graphene has been rigorously explored for straintronics applications due to its excellent electro-mechanical properties [5,[14][15][16][17][18][19] and exotic physical phenomena resulting from strain maneuvering [1,[20][21][22][23] such as zero-field quantum Hall effect [20,24], superconductivity [25], and unique Dirac cone dynamics [14][15][16]. In many ways, silicene is identical to graphene.…”

“…Despite these advantages, straintronics application of silicene remains unexplored. In this paper, we explore the straintronics properties of silicene in the quasi-ballistic transport regime (which corresponds to a length-scale of around 100 nm -200 nm) [29] for potential applications in future NEMS systems and flexible electronic devices.Various 2D materials with enhanced electrical, optical and mechanical properties like graphene, display novel applications in NEMS systems such as reference piezoresistor [22] and ultra high-pressure sensitivity [23,30,31]. Because of the similarities between silicene and graphene, the former is expected to contribute to the field of NEMS sensors.…”

Silicene: an excellent material for flexible electronics

“…In recent years, graphene has been rigorously explored for straintronics applications due to its excellent electromechanical properties [5,[14][15][16][17][18][19] and exotic physical phenomena resulting from strain maneuvering [1,[20][21][22][23], such as zero-field quantum Hall effect [20,24], superconductivity [25] and unique Dirac cone dynamics [14][15][16]. In many ways, silicene is identical to graphene.…”

“…In this paper, we explore the straintronics properties of silicene in the quasi-ballistic transport regime (which corresponds to a length-scale of around 100-200 nm) [29] for potential applications in future nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) systems and flexible electronic devices. Various 2D materials with enhanced electrical, optical and mechanical properties, such as graphene, display novel applications in NEMS systems, such as reference piezoresistor [22] and ultra-high-pressure sensitivity [23,30,31]. Due to the similarities between silicene and graphene, the former is expected to contribute to the field of NEMS sensors.…”