Superior adhesion of graphene nanoscrolls

Abstract An emerging material in the carbon family, a graphene nanoscroll (GNS) is composed of tubularly scrolled monolayer graphene and  has shown superlubricity and large current sustainability, surpassing the properties of monolayer graphene itself. Here we report on the superior adhesion of GNS prepared with a high yield synthesis method that allows for mass production of high quality GNSs. Raman spectra indicate that the GNS still maintains the signature of monolayer graphene, implying the lacking of π -stacking between adjacent layers. Importantly, adhesion measurements using atomic force microscopy reveal these GNSs with height range of 120–130 nm show a 2.5-fold stronger adhesion force than pristine graphene. This result potentially indicates that the GNS has higher adhesion than monolayer graphene and even higher than the liquid–solid and hydrogen-bonding enhanced interfaces which are essential types of adhesions involved in the field of physical adhesions and thus, GNS could be a new candidate for super-strong and lightweight devices.