Friction Control of Graphene Boundary Effect Based on Different Probes

As a solid lubricant, graphene is widely used in micro and nano mechanical devices. Reducing the friction of graphene as much as possible is the key measure to improve the performance of these devices and extend their life. The friction between graphene and probe tip is studied by changing the active region of graphene surface. The conical probe and spherical probe are used to measure the average friction from the boundary region between graphene and SiO₂/Si substrate to the central region of graphene. The results show that for single-layer graphene, the average friction force in the central region of graphene is significantly greater than that in the boundary region under the action of conical probe, while the average friction force of graphene varies little with the selected region under the action of spherical probe. For multilayer graphene, the average friction force of graphene varies little with the selected region under the action of two kinds of probes.