manage to cut graphene accurately with a nanorobot

A team of researchers from China and the U.S. has been a method to cut graphene accurately with a nanorobot that is based on an atomic force microscope. The work, entitled 'Court graphene controlled by a nanorobot based on an atomic force microscope', was published in 'Scientia Sinica'.

Graphene is a two-dimensional stable structure has attracted worldwide attention in recent years due to its excellent electronic properties, physical and mechanical properties and its wide range of applications. It has been shown experimentally that the electrical properties of graphene are closely related to its size, geometry and structure, therefore, make the graphene having the desired shape, it is essential for practical application.

Until now, researchers worldwide have explored many methods of modeling of graphene, such as catalytic cleavage, the scanning probe microscope, the cut by a bundle of energy, or photocatalytic techniques. These existing methods can be cut as graphene but, however, the lack of sensor response, real time, during modeling of graphene limited the accuracy of cut, reducing the efficiency of manufacturing devices.

Thus Professor Liu Lianqing, the State Key Laboratory of Robotics, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Professor Xi Ning of Michigan State University in the United States have conducted new research to overcome this challenge.

The researchers investigated methods of controlled cutting of graphene based on nanoscale force records, adding to robot perception and patterns of behavior, drivers, and an atomic force microscope.

They also noted that the cutting forces are linked to the cutting direction of the graphene layer, which is due to the asymmetry of the crystal structure of the material. This discovery will allow forces to be used as nanoscale information in real time, to cut the graphene with control.

The atomic force microscopy is only a tool to observe the nanoscale, and its main weaknesses are its poor ability to be placed correctly, the lack of information in real time, and low efficiency. These problems are solved by a robotic nanomanipulation effective.

Specifically, research the relationship between the cutting direction of the layers and shear forces at the nanoscale was studied systematically by rotating the sample in the same cutting conditions. The experimental results showed that the cutting force is related to the address.

Combined with existing technologies, the technique developed in this work will produce graphene nanodevices large-scale, low cost, high efficiency.