Replication of single macromolecules with graphene.

Abstract

The electronic properties of graphenes depend sensitively on their deformation, and therefore strain engineered graphene electronics is envisioned. In order to deform graphenes locally, we have mechanically exfoliated single and few layer graphenes onto atomically flat mica surfaces covered with isolated double stranded plasmid DNA rings. Using scanning force microscopy in both contact and intermittent contact modes, we find that the graphenes replicate the topography of the underlying DNA with high precision. The availability of macromolecules of different topologies, e.g., programmable DNA patterns, render this approach promising for new graphene based device designs. On the other hand, the encapsulation of single macromolecules offers new prospects for analytical scanning probe microscopy techniques.