Determination of Interfacial Strain on Single-Layer Graphene Due to Ice Adhesion

Adhesion between two dissimilar media produces a strain that changes the bond character of both materials at the interface, like ice-material interface. To explore the interfacial adhesion properties of ice, researchers apply an external stress directly to ice while measuring strain until adhesive or cohesive failure. This destructive approach masks the intrinsic forces as well as complicated interfacial physics occurring at the ice-material interface. Here, we use Raman spectroscopy to non-perturbatively and contactlessly measure ice-induced strain. To isolate this interface, we probe the vibrational modes of single-layer graphene (SLG) from 20°C to -30°C with and without ice. Along with the well-known temperature-dependent Raman shift of SLG, a clear, ∼-2 cm^-1 change in the 2D-frequency (2650 cm^-1) developed upon ice formation. We found that at the same temperature, a decrease in the Raman shift emerged between supercooled water and ice, which corresponds to 0.013% strain in SLG solely due to ice. The localized nature of the Raman probe allows for spatial mapping of the ice-coated SLG surface, enabling precise correlation with surface roughness evaluation and theoretical models.