Controlled, Reversible, and Nondestructive Generation of Uniaxial Extreme Strains (>10%) in Graphene

Theoretical calculations have predicted
that extreme strains (>10%)
in graphene would result in novel applications. However, up to now
the highest reported strain reached ∼1.3%. Here, we demonstrate
uniaxial strains >10% by pulling graphene using a tensile-MEMS.
To
prevent it from slipping away it was locally clamped with epoxy using
a femtopipette. The results were analyzed using Raman spectroscopy
and optical tracking. Furthermore, analysis proved the process to
be reversible and nondestructive for the graphene.