Charge-Transport Tuning of Solution-Processable Graphene Nanoribbons by Substitutional Nitrogen Doping

Abstract

Novel nitrogen-doped graphene nanoribbons (GNR-Ns) are synthesized by the coupling reaction between a pyrazine (or benzene) derivative and naphthalene followed by cyclodehydrogenation. The amount of nitrogen doping in the GNR-Ns is controlled by changing the monomer feed ratio of pyrazine to benzene for polymerization. The electron mobility of the GNR-Ns increases while the hole mobility decreases, as the amount of nitrogen doping in the GNR increases, indicating that the charge-transport behavior of GNRs is changed from ambipolar to an n-type semiconductor. The threshold voltage of the GNR-Ns also shifts from 20 to -6 V as the amount of nitrogen doping increases.