Nanostructured Graphene: An Active Component in Optoelectronic Devices

Abstract

Nanostructured and chemically modified graphene-based nanomaterials possess intriguing properties for their incorporation as an active component in a wide spectrum of optoelectronic architectures. From a technological point of view, this aspect brings many new opportunities to the now well-known atomically thin carbon sheet, multiplying its application areas beyond transparent electrodes. This article gives an overview of fundamental concepts, theoretical backgrounds, design principles, technological implications, and recent advances in semiconductor devices that integrate nanostructured graphene materials into their active region. Starting from the unique electronic nature of graphene, a physical understanding of finite-size effects, non-idealities, and functionalizing mechanisms is established. This is followed by the conceptualization of hybridized films, addressing how the insertion of graphene can modulate or improve material properties. Importantly, it provides general guidelines for designing new materials and devices with specific characteristics. Next, a number of notable devices found in the literature are highlighted. It provides practical information on material preparation, device fabrication, and optimization for high-performance optoelectronics with a graphene hybrid channel. Finally, concluding remarks are made with the summary of the current status, scientific issues, and meaningful approaches to realizing next-generation technologies.

Effect of Graphene Nanosheets Content on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Titanium Matrix Composite Produced by Cold Pressing and Sintering

“…Graphene is a single atomic layer of sp2-hybridized carbon atoms packed densely in a honeycomb lattice that has superior properties, such as remarkable electrical and thermal conductivity (due to high electron mobility) and extreme mechanical strength. Moreover, the high specific surface area and modulus of graphene have been reported in theoretical and experimental studies [14,15,16,17,18,19,20]. Hereby, graphene has been used in some metal matrix composites, such as aluminum [21,22] and magnesium [23,24] matrix composites, as a suitable reinforcement.…”

Visible-Light Active Titanium Dioxide Nanomaterials with Bactericidal Properties

“…Graphene has been reported to possess an excellent electrical mobility of 2 × 10 5 cm 2 V −1 s −1 , a superior light transparency of 97.7%, a high specific surface area of 2600 m 2 g −1 , and good antibacterial activity [14,139,140]. In this context, graphene and its derivatives, such as graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), find attractive applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices, energy storage devices, chemical sensors and biomedical implants [141][142][143]. Moreover, a graphene sheet with a lateral dimension of several micrometers can serve as a template for anchoring TiO 2 NPs onto its surface [102,[144][145][146].…”

Green Synthesis of Reduced Graphene Oxide and Device Fabrication for Optoelectronic Applications

“…These excellent properties of graphene enable it to be used in many different applications (Choi et al, 2010;Chang and Wu, 2013;Hur and Park, 2013). However, the zero-band gap electronic structure of graphene limits its use as an active material for various optoelectronic applications (Liu et al, 2015;Kim, 2018). In theory, a single layer of graphene absorbs approximately 2.3% of light regardless of wavelength.…”