EAGER/Collaborative Research: Coaxing Graphene to be Piezoelectric

这个早期概念探索性研究奖助金(AGER)项目的目标是提高对石墨烯的物理理解--石墨烯是原子厚度可能最薄的薄片。除了其非凡的机械强度外，石墨烯还具有诱人的电、磁和光学特性，可能导致从纳米电子学、高灵敏度传感器、坚固材料和储能设备等一系列应用。石墨烯缺少的一个特性是所谓的“压电性”，它允许在材料机械变形时产生电压，反之亦然。因此，这项研究的具体研究目标是阐明石墨烯是否和如何具有压电性(即使它可能不被期望表现出这种行为...)。为了实现这些目标，将使用先进的量子力学计算和最先进的制造和测试技术。该项目提出了一个高风险、高回报的概念，如果成功，将在创造多功能材料和使用石墨烯作为最薄的材料方面建立一个新的范式，这些材料能够实现各种功能--传感和驱动等。在许多既需要传感又需要驱动的应用中，压电性很重要--例如，压电石墨烯可以用来制造人造肌肉。其他潜在的应用范围从生物医学到太空。参与该项目的研究生和本科生将在纳米技术、计算材料科学和力学等高度多学科的领域奠定坚实的基础。通过“哈利波特背后的科学”这一概念，已经有计划接触到学龄儿童。

The objective of this EArly-Concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) project is to improve physical understanding of Graphene - the thinnest possible sheet of just atomic thickness. In addition to its remarkable mechanical strength, Graphene has tantalizing electronic, magnetic, and optical properties which could lead to a host of applications ranging from nanoelectronics, highly sensitive sensors, strong materials and energy storage devices among others. One property missing from Graphene is the so-called "piezoelectricity," which allows a voltage to be developed when a material is mechanically deformed and vice-versa. Thus the specific research objective of this investigation is to elucidate "if" and "how" Graphene can be endowed with piezoelectricity (even though it may not be expected to exhibit such behavior ...). Advanced quantum mechanical calculations and state-of-the-art fabrication and testing techniques will be employed to realize such goals.This project puts forth a high-risk high-payoff concept and, if successful, will establish a new paradigm in creating multifunctional materials and the use of Graphene as the thinnest material capable of a variety of functions - sensing and actuation, among others. Piezoelectricity is important in a host of applications where both sensing and actuation are needed - piezoelectric Graphene, for example, could be used to create artificial muscles. Other potential applications range from biomedical to space. Graduate and undergraduate students working on the project will develop a strong foundation in the highly multidisciplinary areas of nanotechnology, computational materials science and mechanics. Plans are in place to reach out to school-children through the concept of "Science behind Harry Potter."