Transferring forces between graphene oxide sheets

What is it about?

The paper examines how forces are transferred between individual graphene oxide (GO) sheets within a larger GO paper. We do this by applying forces using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to small volumes of GO paper and use synchrotron FTIR micro-spectroscopy to measure the changes in molecular structure when this force is applied.

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Why is it important?

Graphene needs to be mechanically robust for a range of applications. Graphene oxide (GO) is a processable form of graphene and understanding how forces are transferred between sheets in larger scale GO paper is critical in making future devices. The work showed that two types of chemical bonds are responsible for the mechanical properties of GO paper.