UV irradiation on native graphene
oxide (GO) surfaces
in a cation-forming
liquid yields surface cationic species that graft the reaction product
directly on the GO surface. These surface cations also enhance the
intrinsic photoluminescence of GO. The formation of pyrylium as the
surface cation is proposed to be responsible for both effects. Using
a micrometer-scale photomask, GO itself is used as a 2D platform to
form chemical patterns by photoluminescence, cationic polymerization,
and reactions with nucleophiles under UV or visible light exposure.
Postpatterning by adsorption and fabricating a functionally graded
surface are also described for further applications. Our finding offers
a versatile light-exposure-based technique to mass-produce the GO
microchips with a high integration density.