Title: Surface morphology and nanofriction of thermally treated multilayer graphene

Authors: Mei Bao Lee; Chiew Tin Lee; William Woei Fong Chong; Cheng Tung Chong; Suhaila Mohd Sanip

Addresses: School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia ' School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia ' Automotive Development Centre, Institute for Vehicle Systems and Engineering (IVeSE), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia ' China-UK Low Carbon College, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Lingang 201306, Shanghai, China ' Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton Malaysia, Iskandar Puteri 79200, Johor, Malaysia

Abstract: Correlation of surface morphology alteration in affecting the nanotribological properties of multilayer graphene (Gr) film has been rarely reported in the literature. Thus, the study determines the extent of surface morphology alteration influencing the friction of multilayer Gr film. The multilayer Gr film was treated at 200°C and 400°C using a one-zone tube furnace under vacuum. At 400°C, the film area roughness was reduced by 53% (Sa). Through Raman analysis, the reduced roughness is attributed to mechanical (tensile) strain. Concurrently, the coefficient of friction dropped from 0.14 to 0.05 (64% reduction), inferring that the multilayer Gr film friction can be modified using thermal treatment. This treated sample also exhibited improved electrical conductivity (33% sheet resistance reduction) due to electron doping. The improved conductivity with lower nanofriction of the treated multilayer Gr film is favourable for sliding electrical contact interfaces, imperative in enhancing the broad adoption of Gr in MEMS/NEMS.

Keywords: graphene; surface morphology; nanofriction; raman spectroscopy; thermal treatment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2022.127070

International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering, 2022 Vol.16 No.4, pp.349 - 366

Received: 28 Mar 2022
Accepted: 10 Jun 2022
Published online: 21 Nov 2022 *

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