Reliability investigation of flexible graphene-based actuator

Graphene is a typical two-dimensional material which has fascinating electrical, mechanical, and optical properties. In particular, graphene-based smart MEMS/NEMS devices can automatically respond to external electric stimulation and convert to mechanical movement. Actuator is one of the most potential applications of graphene-based MEMS. However, its reliability investigation has rarely been reported. Here we report the failure mechanism of a bimorph actuator fabricated by reduced graphene (RGO) and graphene oxide (GO). Our findings pave a way to the fundamental understanding of reliability issues on graphene-based actuators.