Raman Spectroscopy of Graphene and Bilayer under Biaxial Strain: Bubbles and Balloons

We use graphene bubbles to study the Raman spectrum of graphene under biaxial (e.g., isotropic) strain. Our Gruneisen parameters are in excellent agreement with the theoretical values. Discrepancy in the previously reported values is attributed to the interaction of graphene with the substrate. Bilayer balloons (intentionally pressurized membranes) have been used to avoid the effect of the substrate and to study the dependence of strain on the interlayer interactions.