Sharpening the Chemical Scissors to Unzip Carbon Nanotubes: Crystalline Graphene Nanoribbons Articles uri icon

authors

  • TERRONES MALDONADO, MAURICIO

publication date

  • June 2010

start page

  • 1775

end page

  • 1781

issue

  • 4

volume

  • 4

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 1936-0851

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1936-086X

abstract

  • It has recently been demonstrated that graphene nanoribbons can be mass-produced by unzipping carbon nanotubes. At present, wet chemical routes via acid oxidation appear to be the most effective and
    scalable. Although it was believed that this route resulted in highly
    defective nanoribbons with low electrical transport properties, a
    research group led by James Tour at Rice University has now realized
    that it is indeed possible to obtain highly crystalline graphene
    nanoribbons exhibiting high electrical conductivities, which could be
    used in the fabrication of field effect transistors and other devices.
    The results indicate that a defect-engineering approach could be used to
    control the straightness and length of the ribbons using oxidation
    reactions at relatively high temperatures (e.g., 60 °C). It has
    been shown that defects are critical in tailoring the physicochemical
    properties of graphene-like nanomaterials such as nanoribbons. However,
    this is the tip of the iceberg, and more edge chemistry and physics is
    still needed to develop and to produce real graphene nanoribbon devices
    for use in the market.