Hofmann, Thomas and Ren, Xinguo and Weymouth, Alfred J. and Meuer, Daniel and Liebig, Alexander and Donarini, Andrea and Giessibl, Franz J. (2022) Evidence for temporary and local transition of sp(2) graphite-type to sp(3) diamond-type bonding induced by the tip of an atomic force microscope. NEW JOURNAL OF PHYSICS, 24 (8): 083018. ISSN 1367-2630
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Artificial diamond is created by exposing graphite to pressures on the order of 10 GPa and temperatures of about 2000 K. Here, we provide evidence that the pressure exerted by the tip of an atomic force microscope onto graphene over the carbon buffer layer of silicon carbide can lead to a temporary transition of graphite to diamond on the atomic scale. We perform atomic force microscopy with CO terminated tips and copper oxide (CuOx) tips to image graphene and to induce the structural transition. A local transition induced by the force of the tip is accompanied by local rehybridization from an sp(2)-bonded to an sp(3)-bonded local structure. Density functional theory predicts that a repulsive threshold of approximate to 13 nN, followed by a force reduction by approximate to 4 nN is overcome when inducing the graphite-diamond transition. The experimental observation of the third harmonic with a magnitude of about 200 fm fits well to overcoming a force barrier of F-barrier approximate to 5 nN, followed by a force reduction by -F-barrier and an upswing by F-b(arrier) for decreasing distances. Experimental evidence for this transition is provided by the emergence of third harmonics in the cantilever oscillation when the laterally flexible CO terminated tip exerts a large repulsive force. Probing the sample with rigid CuOx tips in the strong repulsive regime shows a strong difference in the yielding of the A versus B sites to the pressure of the tip. The large repulsive overall force of approximate to 10 nN is only compatible with the experimental data if one assumes that the repulsive force acting on the tip when inducing the transition is compensated by a heavily increased van-der-Waals attraction of the tip due to form fitting of tip and sample by local indentation. The experiment also shows that atomic force microscopy allows to perform high pressure physics on the atomic scale.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | FREQUENCY-SHIFTS; GRAPHENE; RESOLUTION; GRAPHITIZATION; CARBON; atomic force microscopy; graphene; diamond; precision measurement |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 530 Physics |
| Divisions: | Physics > Institute of Theroretical Physics Physics > Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics > Chair Professor Giessibl > Group Franz J. Giessibl |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Feb 2024 09:37 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Feb 2024 09:37 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/57167 |
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