Graphene-based nanodynamometer

Abstract

A new concept of an electromechanical nanodynamometer based on the relative displacement of layers of bilayer graphene is proposed. In this nanodynamometer, force acting on one of the graphene layers causes the relative displacement of this layer and related change of conductance between the layers. Such a force can be determined by measurements of the tunneling conductance between the layers. Dependences of the interlayer interaction energy and the conductance between the graphene layers on their relative position are calculated within the first-principles approach corrected for van der Waals interactions and the Bardeen method, respectively. The characteristics of the nanodynamometer are determined and its possible applications are discussed.