Molecular sensing using armchair graphene nanoribbon

In molecular electronics, the conductance strongly depends on the frontier energy levels and spatial orientations of molecules. Utilizing these features, we investigate the electron transport characteristics of conjugated molecules attached on an armchair graphene nanoribbon. The resulting sharp reduction in the transmission which represents molecular fingerprints and the change of the transmission depending on the molecular orientation, are examined in accordance with a unified picture of the Fano–Anderson model. These characteristics, being unique for each molecule, would be applicable to molecular recognition and configurational analysis. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Electronic and magnetic properties of armchair and zigzag graphene nanoribbons

The electronic properties, band gap, and ionization potential of zigzag and armchair graphene nanoribbons are calculated as a function of the number of carbon atoms in the ribbon employing density functional theory at the B3LYP6-31G* level. In armchair ribbons, the ionization potential and band gap show a gradual decrease with length. For zigzag ribbons, the dependence of the band gap and ionization potential on ribbon length is different depending on whether the ribbon has an unpaired electron or not. It is also found that boron and nitrogen zigzag and armchair doped graphene nanoribbons have a triplet ground state and could be ferromagnetic.     

Transport properties of graphene nanoribbon-based molecular devices

The electronic and transport properties of an edge-modified prototype graphene nanoribbon (GNR) slice are investigated using density functional theory and Green's function theory. Two decorating functional group pairs are considered, such as hydrogen-hydrogen and NH(2)-NO(2) with NO(2) and NH(2) serving as a donor and an acceptor, respectively. The molecular junctions consist of carbon-based GNR slices sandwiched between Au electrodes. Nonlinear I-V curves and quantum conductance have been found in all the junctions. With increasing the source-drain bias, the enhancement of conductance is quantized. Several key factors determining the transport properties such as the electron transmission probabilities, the density of states, and the component of Frontier molecular orbitals have been discussed in detail. It has been shown that the transport properties are sensitive to the edge type of carbon atoms. We have also found that the accepter-donor functional pairs can cause orders of magnitude changes of the conductance in the junctions.     

On-surface synthesis of singly and doubly porphyrin-capped graphene nanoribbon segments

On-surface synthesis has emerged as a powerful tool for the construction of large, planar, π-conjugated structures that are not accessible through standard solution chemistry. Among such solid-supported architectures, graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) hold a prime position for their implementation in nanoelectronics due to their manifold outstanding properties. Moreover, using appropriately designed molecular precursors, this approach allows the synthesis of functionalized GNRs, leading to nanostructured hybrids with superior physicochemical properties. Among the potential “partners” for GNRs, porphyrins (Pors) outstand due to their rich chemistry, robustness, and electronic richness, among others. However, the use of such π-conjugated macrocycles for the construction of GNR hybrids is challenging and examples are scarce. Herein, singly and doubly Por-capped GNR segments presenting a commensurate and triply-fused GNR–Por heterojunction are reported. The study of the electronic properties of such hybrid structures by high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy, scanning tunneling spectroscopy, and DFT calculations reveals a weak hybridization of the electronic states of the GNR segment and the Por moieties despite their high degree of conjugation.

Singly and doubly porphyrin-capped graphene nanoribbon segments are reported and their electronic properties are studied by high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, and DFT calculations.     

Molecular properties of molecules between electrodes

We consider methods for determining properties of molecules between electrodes. We utilize a heterogeneous and structured solvation model for describing the physical situation of a molecule located between electrodes. This method includes directly the polarization terms of the surrounding environment in the quantum mechanical equations.Contribution to the Jacopo Tomasi Honorary Issue     

Scaling of excitons in graphene nanoribbons with armchair shaped edges

The scaling behavior of band gaps and fundamental quantities of exciton, i.e., reduced mass, size, and binding strength, in three families of quasi one-dimensional graphene nanoribbons with hydrogen passivated armchair shaped edge (AGNRs) are comprehensively investigated by density functional theory with quasi-particle corrections and many body, i.e., electron-hole, interactions. Compared with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) where the scaling character features a single exponent, each family of AGNRs has its own single exponent, due to its intrinsic zero curvature, which also accounts for the absent "family spreading" of optical transition energies in the smaller width region in the Kataura plots of AGNRs as compared to those of SWCNTs. Moreover, the scaling relation between exciton binding strength and the geometric parameter is established.     

Oxygen-promoted synthesis of armchair graphene nanoribbons on Cu(111)

We report the systematic investigation of the effects of oxygen on the synthesis of 3 p sub-family armchair graphene nanoribbons(3 p-AGNRs),which revealed a strong catalytic effect with a reduction in the reaction temperature by approximately 180 K without degradation of the AGNRs.Poly(para-phenylene)(3-AGNR)was generated through Ullmann-type coupling of4,4’’-dibromo-p-terphenyl on Cu(111),which was then converted into wider 3 p-AGNRs via lateral fusion.Scanning tunneling microscopy(STM)and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated the formation of different ribbons up to 12-AGNR,which contained regions exhibiting increased STM contrast that we attribute to the intercalation of Br atoms during lateral fusion.     

Tuning graphene nanoribbon field effect transistors via controlling doping level

By performing first-principles transport simulations, we demonstrate that n-type transfer curves can be obtained in armchair-edged graphene nanoribbon field effect transistors by the potassium atom and cobaltocene molecule doping, or substituting the carbon by nitrogen atom. The Dirac point shifts downward from 0 to ?12?V when the n-type impurity concentration increases from 0 to 1.37%, while the transfer curves basically maintain symmetric feature with respect to the Dirac point. In general, the on/off current ratios are decreased and subthreshold swings are increased with the increasing doping level. Therefore, the performance of armchair-edged graphene nanoribbon field effect transistors can be controlled via tuning the impurity doping level.     

Wrinkle engineering: a new approach to massive graphene nanoribbon arrays

Wrinkles are often formed on CVD-graphene in an uncontrollable way. By designing the surface morphology of growth substrate together with a suitable transfer technique, we are able to engineer the dimension, density, and orientation of wrinkles on transferred CVD-graphene. Such kind of wrinkle engineering is employed to fabricate highly aligned graphene nanoribbon (GNR) arrays by self-masked plasma-etching. Strictly consistent with the designed wrinkles, the density of GNR arrays varied from ～0.5 to 5 GNRs/μm, and over 88% GNRs are less than 10 nm in width. Electrical transport measurements of these GNR-based FETs exhibit an on/off ratio of ～30, suggesting an opened bandgap. Our wrinkle engineering approach allows very easily for a massive production of GNR arrays with bandgap-required widths, which opens a practical pathway for large-scale integrated graphene devices.     

Electrochemical characterization of insulating silica-modified electrodes: Transport properties and physicochemical features

The effect of depositing different numbers of insulating layers from a silica sol onto an ITO support was investigated to elucidate the changes occurring to diffusion and transfer mechanisms compared with bare electrodes. The electrochemical studies highlighted unexpected trends, which were discussed with respect to literature models and interpreted in the light of the physicochemical characterization (by FE-SEM, AFM, UV–vis transmittance) and particularly the hydrophilicity of the layers.     

Tuning of the electronic properties of H‐passivated armchair graphene nanoribbons by mild border oxidation: Theoretical study on periodic models

We report the results of a DFT study of the electronic properties, intended as highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energies, of periodic models of H‐passivated armchair graphene nanoribbons (a‐GNRs) as that synthetized by bottom‐up technique, functionalized by vicinal dialdehydic groups. This material can be obtained by border oxidation in mild and easy to control conditions with ¹Δ_g O₂ as we reported in our previous paper (Ghigo et al., ChemPhysChem 2015, 16, 3030). The calculations show that the two models of border oxidized a‐GNRs (model A, 0.98 nm and model B, 1.35 nm wide) present LUMO and HOMO energies lowered by an extend roughly linearly dependent on the amount of oxygen chemically bound. The frontier orbital energy variations dependence on the % wt of oxygen bound are, for model A: ?0.12 eV for the LUMO and ?0.05 eV for the HOMO; for model B: ?0.15 eV (HOMO) and ?0.06 eV (LUMO). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Enhanced electrochemical sensitivity of PtRh electrodes coated with nitrogen-doped graphene

We report the enhancement of electron transfer properties of PtRh electrodes modified by nitrogen-doped graphene coating. The nitrogen-doped graphene coating prepared by a hydrazine-assisted ultrasonication allows for the development of new and effective graphene-based electrode materials for electrochemical sensing.     

Density functional study on the increment of carrier mobility in armchair graphene nanoribbons induced by Stone-Wales defects

Armchair graphene nanoribbons and their derived structures containing Stone-Wales defects are investigated using a self-consistent field crystal orbital method based on density functional theory. The investigation indicates that both the nanoribbons and the defective structures are semiconductors. A low concentration of middle Stone-Wales defects generally increases the carrier mobility, calculated using deformation potential theory, while edge Stone-Wales defects decrease it. The largest increment of the carrier mobility is as high as 170%, which is explained by the lighter carrier effective mass with crystal orbital analysis.     

Linear viscoelastic properties of electro-rheological nano-suspension confined to narrow gap between electrodes

The linear viscoelastic properties of a suspension composed of titanium dioxide nanoparticles were measured under the direct current (dc) electric field with narrow gap distances between the electrodes. The yielding behavior under no external electric fields was also discussed. The wall slip at the interface between the parallel plates and the nano-suspension was briefly discussed. Under the dc electric field, a fine chain-like microstructure was optically found within a narrow gap of 50 μm between the electrodes in the quiescent state. The nano-suspension confined to a narrow gap of 65 μm between the parallel plates was rather viscoelastic even at the highest strength of the electric field of 16 kV·mm⁻¹. Furthermore, fast and slow relaxations of the dynamic moduli were found after removal of the electric field. It was pointed out that the linear viscoelasticity was an appropriate measure of the microstructure before yielding.     

KCl-assisted,chemically reduced graphene oxide for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Graphene with highly flaky state has been successfully prepared through chemical reduction process with the assistance of potassium chloride (KCl) to...     

Gas-sensing properties of armchair silicene nanoribbons towards carbon-based gases with single-molecule resolution

Structural Chemistry - Using non-equilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) formalism combined with first-principle density functional theory (DFT), we explore the nature of adsorption of...     

Electrostatic spray deposition of graphene nanoplatelets for high-power thin-film supercapacitor electrodes

Thin-film electrodes of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were fabricated through the electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) technique. The combination of a binder-free deposition technique and an open pore structure of graphene films results in an excellent power handling ability of the electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry measurements of 1-μm-thick electrodes yield near rectangular curves even at a very high scan rate of 20 V s^?1. Thin-film electrodes (1 μm thickness) show specific power and energy of about 75.46 kW kg^?1 and 2.93 W h kg^?1, respectively, at a 5 V s^?1 scan rate. For the thin-film electrode, about 53 % of the initial specific capacitance of electrodes at low scan rates was retained at a high scan rate of 20 V s^?1. Although the thickness of the thin-film electrodes has influence on their rate capability, an electrode with an increased thickness of 6 μm retained about 30 % if its initial capacitance at a very high scan rate of 20 V s^?1. The results show that the ESD-fabricated GNP electrodes are promising candidates for thin-film energy storage for applications that require moderate energy density and very high power and rate handling ability.     

The electrochemical performance of graphene modified electrodes: an analytical perspective

We explore the use of graphene modified electrodes towards the electroanalytical sensing of various analytes, namely dopamine hydrochloride, uric acid, acetaminophen and p-benzoquinone via cyclic voltammetry. In line with literature methodologies and to investigate the full-implications of employing graphene in this electrochemical context, we modify electrode substrates that exhibit either fast or slow electron transfer kinetics (edge- or basal- plane pyrolytic graphite electrodes respectively) with well characterised commercially available graphene that has not been chemically treated, is free from surfactants and as a result of its fabrication has an extremely low oxygen content, allowing the true electroanalytical applicability of graphene to be properly de-convoluted and determined. In comparison to the unmodified underlying electrode substrates (constructed from graphite), we find that graphene exhibits a reduced analytical performance in terms of sensitivity, linearity and observed detection limits towards each of the various analytes studied within. Owing to graphene's structural composition, low proportion of edge plane sites and consequent slow heterogeneous electron transfer rates, there appears to be no advantages, for the analytes studied here, of employing graphene in this electroanalytical context.     

Realization and characterization of flexible supercapacitors based on doped graphene electrodes

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - High energy consumption leads to the development of various energy types. As a result, the storage of these different types of energy becomes a key issue....