Third-year doctorate researcher and student Li Yuan has received a $1,250 scholarship. Working under the direction of professor Robert Carpick, Yuan has been researching graphene, MoS2 and other two-dimensional materials as part of the university’s nanotribology program. He performs molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate how graphene/substrate interfacial registries influence friction for a Si tip sliding on supported graphene. His research indicates that the substrate can suppress the puckering effects of graphene by inhibition of in-plane sliding, thus reducing the tip-graphene sliding friction. Yuan also studies the initiation and growth of graphene auto-kirigami, a self-assembly structure of graphene that exhibits superlubricity. Overall, his work intends to highlight the role of the interfacial organization in the friction and lubricating performance of graphene-based systems.
A motivated graduate student, Yuan actually began his research while still in China back in 2020 during the worst part of the COVID-19 pandemic—attending classes virtually even with the 12 hour time difference. His research work at University of Pennsylvania since arriving has been acknowledged by the Gordon Research Seminar on Tribology and the STLE Annual Meeting. Yuan’s research advisor considers him one of the top 3% of all doctorate tribology students he has worked with. Yuan’s research advisor, Dr. Carpick, considers him one of the finest the scholarship committee has ever seen.