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Wedge-based mechanical exfoliation
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<p>Wedge-based mechanical exfoliation is a method that involves the use of an ultra-sharp single crystal diamond wedge to penetrate inside a material and cleave a thin layer of material. It was proposed to produce few layers of <a href="/facts/Graphene/QDGUBaPt">graphene</a> from a bulk highly ordered <a href="/facts/Pyrolytic/h1cEegI7">pyrolytic</a> <a href="/facts/Graphite/sSf3KMXr">graphite</a> (HOPG). </p><p><a href="/facts/Molecular_dynamics/yR3DNt6U">Molecular dynamics</a> simulations studies have been performed to understand how and under what conditions graphene layers separate, fold and shear during the wedge-based mechanical exfoliation machining technique. Molecular simulations of initial wedge engagement show that the entry location of the wedge tip, vis-a-vis the nearest graphene layer, plays a key role in determining whether layers separate or fold and which layers and how many of them fold. </p>