Nano-Architecture of nitrogen-doped graphene films synthesized from a solid CN source

Abstract

New synthesis routes to tailor graphene properties by controlling the concentration and chemical configuration of dopants show great promise. Herein we report the direct reproducible synthesis of 2-3% nitrogen-doped ‘few-layer’ graphene from a solid state nitrogen carbide a-C:N source synthesized by femtosecond pulsed laser ablation. Analytical investigations, including synchrotron facilities, made it possible to identify the configuration and chemistry of the nitrogen-doped graphene films. Auger mapping successfully quantified the 2D distribution of the number of graphene layers over the surface, and hence offers a new original way to probe the architecture of graphene sheets. The films mainly consist in a Bernal ABA stacking three-layer architecture, with a layer number distribution ranging from 2 to 6. Nitrogen doping affects the charge carrier distribution but has no significant effects on the number of lattice defects or disorders, compared to undoped graphene synthetized in similar conditions. Pyridinic, quaternary and pyrrolic nitrogen are the dominant chemical configurations, pyridinic N being preponderant at the scale of the film architecture. This work opens highly promising perspectives for the development of self-organized nitrogen-doped graphene materials, as synthetized from solid carbon nitride, with various functionalities, and for the characterization of 2D materials using a significant new methodology.

Electronic Structure of a Semiconducting Imine‐Covalent Organic Framework

“…Near the C1s edge, we observe a shoulder corresponding to −C= N − (285.2 eV, see S6 in the SI), which further confirms the formation of imine and therefore the imine COF. The XPS result is in agreement with previous reports . The XPS spectra from 1:3 (TCA:PDA) ratio is included in S7 of the SI.…”

A review on graphene based transition metal oxide composites and its application towards supercapacitor electrodes

“…6. The documented [62]. b Dried Ni/graphene sheets at 383 K for 12 h [63] laser coating micro-hardness of 2 wt% GO composite was 600 HV, which is 93.5 percent higher than the basic material.…”

Pulsed Laser Deposited Films for Microbatteries

“…On the other hand, a N-doped graphene (NG) electrode prepared by PLD coupled with in-situ thermal annealing (PLD-TA) was achieved by Fortgang et al [338]. More recently, Bourquard et al used the PLD-TA process to form an N-doped graphene film by high temperature condensation of the laser-induced carbon plasma plume onto the Si electrode previously covered by an Ni catalytic film [339], using a protocol published by the same group [340] Carbon was ablated at 780 • C from the graphite target using a femtosecond laser (λ = 800 nm, pulse width of 60 ns, repetition rate of 1 kHz, and Φ = 5 J·cm −2 ) at a distance of 36 mm from the graphite target, with P N = 10 Pa in the vacuum chamber. The electrochemical properties were measured with the thus-obtained 40 nm-thick film with a nitrogen concentration of 1.75% as the working electrode and an active area of 0.07 cm 2 , saturated calomel electrode as the reference electrode, and platinum as the counter electrode, in a 0.5 mol·L −1 1,1 ferrocene-dimethanol solution of 0.1 mol·L −1 NaClO 4 .…”