nl5b02475_si_003.avi (2.84 MB)
Nanobubbles at GPa Pressure under Graphene
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posted on 2015-09-09, 00:00 authored by Giovanni Zamborlini, Mighfar Imam, Laerte
L. Patera, Tevfik Onur Menteş, Nataša Stojić, Cristina Africh, Alessandro Sala, Nadia Binggeli, Giovanni Comelli, Andrea LocatelliWe provide direct evidence that irradiation
of a graphene membrane on Ir with low-energy Ar ions induces formation
of solid noble-gas nanobubbles. Their size can be controlled by thermal
treatment, reaching tens of nanometers laterally and height of 1.5
nm upon annealing at 1080 °C. Ab initio calculations show that
Ar nanobubbles are subject to pressures reaching tens of GPa, their
formation being driven by minimization of the energy cost of film
distortion and loss of adhesion.