AFM nanopatterning of transition metal oxide thin films.

In this paper we show diverse methods for patterning transition metal oxide (TMO) thin films by Local Anodic Oxidation (LAO) using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). At first, direct lithography by current-controlled LAO of TMO thin films and selective wet etching is presented. For insulating films or those whose AFM patterns cannot be selectively removed by wet etching, fabrication of nanomasks is required; thus, the fabrication of Molybdenum and TMO nanomasks is reported. As a further development, we show the AFM fabrication of Mo/poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) nanomasks through multistep processes combining LAO of Mo and dry etching of PMMA. Detailed discussions and comparisons between these methods are presented.

Ultralow friction of ink-jet printed graphene flakes.

We report the frictional response of few-layer graphene (FLG) flakes obtained by the liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) of pristine graphite. To this end, we inkjet print FLG on bare and hexamethyldisilazane-terminated SiO2 substrates, producing micrometric patterns with nanoscopic roughness that are investigated by atomic force microscopy. Normal force spectroscopy and atomically-resolved morphologies indicate reduced surface contamination by solvents after a vacuum annealing process. Notably, the printed FLG flakes show ultralow friction comparable to that of micromechanically exfoliated graphene flakes. Lubricity is retained on flakes with a lateral size of a few tens of nanometres, and with a thickness as small as ∼2 nm, confirming the high crystalline quality and low defects density in the FLG basal plane. Surface exposed step edges exhibit the highest friction values, representing the preferential sites for the origin of the secondary dissipative processes related to edge straining, wear or lateral displacement of the flakes. Our work demonstrates that LPE enables fundamental studies on graphene friction to the single-flake level. The capability to deliver ultralow-friction-graphene over technologically relevant substrates, using a scalable production route and a high-throughput, large-area printing technique, may also open up new opportunities in the lubrication of micro- and nano-electromechanical systems.