Kinetics of Diazonium Functionalization of Chemically Converted Graphene Nanoribbons

Abstract

We demonstrate that graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) produced by the oxidative unzipping of carbon nanotubes can be chemically functionalized by diazonium salts. We show that functional groups form a thin layer on a GNR and modify its electrical properties. The kinetics of the functionalization can be monitored by probing the electrical properties of GNRs, either in vacuum after the grafting, or in situ in the solution. We derive a simple kinetics model that describes the change in the electrical properties of GNRs. The reaction of GNRs with 4-nitrobenzene diazonium tetrafluoroborate is reasonably fast, such that >60% of the maximum change in the electrical properties is observed after less than 5 min of grafting at room temperature.

Sensing at the Surface of Graphene Field‐Effect Transistors

“…3c). [126] The disruption of the aromatic system by transformation of carbon atoms from sp 2 to sp 3 hybridization results in a remarkable decrease in graphene conductivity, which can be controlled by reaction time (see also Tab. II).…”

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“…The AFM and Raman spectroscopy results reported have shown the presence of surface defects due to the inefficient removal of oxidized groups, which in turn affect the electrical properties. Although the graphene synthesised through unzipping methods have shown superior electrical properties than the mechanically peeled graphene sheets [48][49][50][51][52][53][54] there is still a long way to go for the GNRs to be industrially applicable to produce transistors due to the lack of optimised parameters to produce defect free, highly oriented and high-quality graphene sheets.…”

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