Conductive-probe AFM characterization of graphene sheets bonded to gold surfaces

Conducting probe atomic force microscopy (CP-AFM) has been used to perform mechanical and electrical experiments on graphene layers bonded to polyaminophenylene (PAP) films grafted on gold substrates. This technique is a new approach for the characterization of graphene sheets and represents a complementary tool to Raman spectroscopy. The combination of friction and electrical imaging reveals that different stacked graphene sheets have been successfully distinguished from each other and from the underlying PAP films. Lateral force microscopy has shown that the friction is greatly reduced on graphene sheets in comparison with the organic coating. The electrical resistance images show very different local conduction properties which can be linked to the number of underlying graphene sheets. The resistance decreases very slowly when the normal load increases. Current–voltage curves display characteristics of metal–molecule–metal junctions.