Large changes of graphene conductance as a function of lattice orientation between stacked layers.

Using the conductive tip of an atomic force microscope as an electrode, we found that the electrical conductance of graphite terraces separated by steps can vary by large factors of up to 100, depending on the relative lattice orientation of the surface and subsurface layers. This effect can be attributed to interlayer interactions that, when stacked commensurately in a Bernal sequence (ABAB...), cause the band gap to open. Misaligned layers, on the other hand, behave like graphene. Angular misorientations of a few degrees were found to cause large increases in the conductance of the top layer, with the maximum occurring around 30°. These results suggest new applications for graphene multilayers by stacking layers at various angles to control the resistance of the connected graphene ribbons in devices.

Shape-dependent adhesion and friction of Au nanoparticles probed with atomic force microscopy.

The relation between surface structure and friction and adhesion is a long-standing question in tribology. Tuning the surface structure of the exposed facets of metal nanoparticles is enabled by shape control. We investigated the effect of the shape of Au nanoparticles on friction and adhesion. Two nanoparticle systems, cubic nanoparticles with a low-index (100) surface and hexoctahedral nanoparticles with a high-index (321) surface, were used as model nanoparticle surfaces. Atomic force microscopy was used to probe the nanoscale friction and adhesion on the nanoparticle surface. Before removing the capping layers, the friction results include contributions from both the geometric factor and the presence of capping layers. After removing the capping layers, we can see the exclusive effect of the surface atomic structure while the geometric effect is maintained. We found that after removing the capping layer, the cubic Au nanoparticles exhibited higher adhesion and friction, compared with cubes capped with layers covering 25% and 70%, respectively. On the other hand, the adhesion and friction of hexoctahedral Au nanoparticles decreased after removing the capping layers, compared with nanoparticles with capping layers. The difference in adhesion and friction forces between the bare Au surfaces and Au nanoparticles with capping layers cannot be explained by geometric factors, such as the slope of the nanoparticle surfaces. The higher adhesion and friction forces on cubic nanoparticles after removing the capping layers is associated with the atomic structure of (100) and (321) (i.e., the flat (100) surfaces of the cubic nanoparticles have a larger contact area, compared with the rough (321) surfaces of the hexoctahedral nanoparticles). This study implies an intrinsic relation between atomic structure and nanomechanical properties, with potential applications for controlling nanoscale friction and adhesion via colloid chemistry.