This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The research objective of this award is to develop a novel synthesis process to produce graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with width controlled at a resolution of 1 nm and crystallographic-orientation (CO) controlled at a resolution of 50 (with controlled zig-zag, arm-chain or mixed edges). The process involves the use of a ultramicrotome to precisely slice a highly-oriented-pyrolytic-graphite (HOPG) block into graphite nanoblocks (GNB), which will then be chemically exfoliated to produce GNRs. A detailed study will be conducted to characterize the electrical and structural properties of GNRs and to determine the effect of the width and the CO on the band-gap and the carrier mobility of GNRs. Other parameters and effects which will be studied include: carrier transport mechanism, edge & surface defects, edge functionalization, width deviations along length and GNR wrinkling & folding. Correlations will be developed to define the effect of the synthesis process parameters on the structural properties of the GNRs.
If successful, the results of this research will develop an efficient process to synthesize GNRs at high-throughput with controlled width & CO and will provide detailed correlations between the structural and the electrical properties of the GNRs. This will enable confirmation of theory and development of GNR-applications of interest to the semiconductor industry including FETs, logic devices and sensors. The success of this project will further expedite GNR research by providing researchers with access to a fast, simple, low-cost and controlled GNR synthesis process. The research results will be incorporated into coursework and disseminated through journal-publications and presentations at national meetings. One PhD student and one undergraduate student will be directly trained on this project.
