Graphene Under Pressure
Faculty Sponsor(s)
Michael Crosser
Subject Area
Physics/Applied Physics
Description
Graphene is a single atomic layer of carbon laid in a hexagonal honeycomb. This special material has been an area of interest for research since its discovery in the early 2000’s. To continue investigating graphene, it will be made using mechanical exfoliation and then turned into a graphene field effect transistor (GFET) through photolithography. This GFET will be covered in an ionic solution and placed into a pressure chamber. The solution and graphene interface will create an electric double layer (EDL) capacitor creating a gate to control the conductivity of the GFET by applying a gate voltage. By varying the pressure within the chamber, the changes in the capacitance of the double layer capacitor were monitored and then the effect of the resistance of the GFET was measured. The goal was to discover a relationship between the pressure, double layer capacitance, and the resistance of graphene. After testing it seems that at first pressure would pull the Dirac point close to 0 gate voltage, then the GFET seems to have reached an equilibrium point with the Dirac point holding at 0 gate voltage.
Recommended Citation
Tallman, Conner E., "Graphene Under Pressure" (2026). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 4.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2026/all/4
Graphene Under Pressure
Graphene is a single atomic layer of carbon laid in a hexagonal honeycomb. This special material has been an area of interest for research since its discovery in the early 2000’s. To continue investigating graphene, it will be made using mechanical exfoliation and then turned into a graphene field effect transistor (GFET) through photolithography. This GFET will be covered in an ionic solution and placed into a pressure chamber. The solution and graphene interface will create an electric double layer (EDL) capacitor creating a gate to control the conductivity of the GFET by applying a gate voltage. By varying the pressure within the chamber, the changes in the capacitance of the double layer capacitor were monitored and then the effect of the resistance of the GFET was measured. The goal was to discover a relationship between the pressure, double layer capacitance, and the resistance of graphene. After testing it seems that at first pressure would pull the Dirac point close to 0 gate voltage, then the GFET seems to have reached an equilibrium point with the Dirac point holding at 0 gate voltage.