School of Physics Spring Colloquium Series- Dr. Elisa Riedo

Speaker: Dr. Elisa Riedo

Host: Claire Berger

Title: The Kaleidoscope of Graphene Applications: From Bio to Quantum

Abstract: Graphene's exceptional properties have opened unprecedented opportunities across diverse fields. This presentation will showcase our recent results in biological sensing, nanomechanics, and quantum device applications.

Biosensing Applications [1]: The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and infectious diseases demands rapid, sensitive diagnostic platforms. A paradigm-shifting approach is demonstrated using thermal scanning probe lithography (tSPL) for multiplexed biofunctionalization of graphene field-effect transistor (FET) sensors. This scalable method enables spatially selective immobilization of different bioreceptors with sub-20 nm precision, achieving massively parallel pathogen detection on a single chip. These antibody- and aptamer-modified graphene FET sensors demonstrate ultra-sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins at 3 aM concentrations and identification of just 10 infectious virus particles per milliliter.

Diamene [2]: Using the modulated nanoindentation (MoNI) method, Å-indentation measurements are performed, and they reveal that epitaxial graphene on SiC exhibits transverse stiffness superior to bulk diamond and undergoes reversible sp2-to-sp3 phase transitions into diamene under pressure (Fig. 1). The role of nitrogen is also revealed.

New Law of Friction [3]: Understanding interfacial interactions between graphene and its substrate is fundamental to controlling electronic and mechanical properties. A method to measure the usually inaccessible interfacial shear modulus is developed and measurements allow to establish its reciprocal relationship with friction forces, providing predictive control over sliding behaviour in 2D materials.

Spontaneous emergence of straintronics effects and striped stacking domains in untwisted three-layer epitaxial graphene [4]: Self-organized emergence of ABA and ABC stacking domains in three-layer epitaxial graphene is revealed. The domains assemble naturally into controllable nanometer-scale stripes extending for microns, without the need of mechanical twisting and alignment (Fig.1). The size and geometry of the observed stacking domains depend on the interplay between strain and shape of the three-layer regions. These findings indicate the possibility of controlling the desired shape and periodicity of the domains through pre-growth patterning of the SiC substrate. Isolated, stripe-shaped ABA/ABC domains pave the way for new potential applications in quantum electronics.

[1] Wright et al. Nanoscale 16 (42), 19620-19632 (2024)

[2] Gao et al. Nature nanotechnology 13 (2), 133-138 (2018)

[3] Rejhon et al. Nature Nanotechnology 17 (12), 1280-1287 (2022)

[4] Rejhon et al. PNAS 121 (50), (2024) e2408496121

Bio: Elisa Riedo is a physicist and researcher known for her contributions in condensed matter physics, nanotechnology and engineering. She is the Herman F. Mark Chair Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering, the director of the picoForce Lab and the co-director of the NYU initiative NanoBioX. She is also Professor of Physics at the NYU College of Arts and Science and affiliated Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Previously, Riedo was Professor of Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology from 2003 to 2015. Riedo is director of Faculty Development at NYU Tandon, leads the Ecosystem Hub and NanoBioX Initiatives. She is co-Founder of Glaucus Technologies.

She graduated summa cum laude in Physics at the University of Milano and obtained a Ph.D. in Physics in 2000 with a joint thesis between the University of Milano, and the European Synchrotron Research Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France. She is well known for her pioneering work in thermal scanning probe lithography (tSPL), a novel and sustainable nanofabrication technique with applications in biomedicine, nanoelectronics, and magnetic materials. She has also made fundamental contributions in nanomechanics, graphene, diamene, 2D materials, and nano- confined water. She is widely published and has received multiple grants from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, ARPA-H, and the Department of Defense.

Dr. Riedo is an elected Fellow of the American Physical Society for her atomic force microscopy studies of nanoscale friction, liquid structure and nanotube elasticity, and the invention of thermochemical nanolithography. In 2023, she has been elected member of the Academia Europaea, and she has received the NYU Tandon Excellence in Research Award.