Frictional Characteristics of Suspended MoS2

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a booming layered two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterial, has gain intensive interests for its remarkable physical properties. In this work, the friction characteristics of suspended MoS2 are systematically investigated with atomic force microscopy (AFM). The friction on the suspended MoS2 is much larger than that on the supported MoS2 because of the softening bending rigidity and easier formation of puckering at the AFM tip–MoS2 contact interface, and the difference would increases with the applied load. Similar to the supported MoS2, the friction on the suspended MoS2 also decreases with the increasing layers because of the enhanced bending rigidity. The friction on the suspended MoS2 is relatively insensitive to the shapes of holes below but sensitive to the dimensions. This work can provide beneficial guidance for the diverse design requirements of MoS2-based nanoelectromechanical devices.