Local probe of the interlayer coupling strength of few-layers SnSe by contact-resonance atomic force microscopy

Abstract

The interlayer bonding in two-dimensional (2D) materials is particularly important because it is not only related to their physical and chemical stability but also affects their mechanical, thermal, electronic, optical, and other properties. To address this issue, we report the direct characterization of the interlayer bonding in 2D SnSe using contact-resonance atomic force microscopy (CR-AFM) in this study. Site-specific CR spectroscopy and CR force spectroscopy measurements are performed on both SnSe and its supporting SiO₂/Si substrate comparatively. Based on the cantilever and contact mechanic models, the contact stiffness and vertical Young’s modulus are evaluated in comparison with SiO₂/Si as a reference material. The interlayer bonding of SnSe is further analyzed in combination with the semi-analytical model and density functional theory calculations. The direct characterization of interlayer interactions using this non-destructive methodology of CR-AFM would facilitate a better understanding of the physical and chemical properties of 2D layered materials, specifically for interlayer intercalation and vertical heterostructures.

Keywords

2D materials / interlayer bonding / contact-resonance atomic force microscopy / density functional theory

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