We are excited to share our recent publication in the Journal of Applied Physics titled: “Graphene-mediated interfacial interactions at polar liquid–air interface in a microfluidic platform”
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Summary
Graphene membranes, when suspended over microfluidic channels, offer a unique way to probe interfacial phenomena at the nanoscale. In this work, we demonstrate that:
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Graphene suppresses capillary instabilities typically observed at liquid–air interfaces.
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High-sensitivity dynamic AFM enables stable phase imaging of the graphene–liquid interface.
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Micro/nanoscale defects in the graphene can trap a thin liquid layer, effectively sealing the membrane even after the liquid evaporates.
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These observations reveal the potential for graphene-based membranes in low-force, high-sensitivity biological and chemical sensing platforms.
Why it IS IMPORTANT
This study provides new insight into how suspended graphene interacts with polar liquids and opens avenues for gentle, high-resolution nanomechanical sensing in bio-microfluidic environments. The results also help establish the feasibility of integrating defect-tolerant graphene membranes into practical lab-on-chip systems.
Authors: Sanket Jugade, Prabhat Vashishth, Prosenjit Sen, Akshay Naik