Dual-trap system to study charged graphene nanoplatelets in high vacuum

We discuss the design and implementation of a system to generate charged multilayer graphene nanoplatelets and introduce a nanoplatelet into a quadrupole ion trap under vacuum. Levitation decouples the platelet from the environment and enables sensitive mechanical and magnetic measurements. The platelets are generated via liquid exfoliation of graphite pellets and charged via electrospray ionization. A single platelet is trapped at a pressure of several hundred millitorr and transferred to a trap in a second chamber, which is pumped to ultra high vacuum pressures for further study. (C) 2017 Optical Society of America