Carbon Nanomaterials for Emerging Electronic Devices and Sensors

Abstract

Over the last two decades, carbon nanomaterials including two-dimensional graphene, one-dimensional carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and zero-dimensional carbon quantum dots, fullerenes have gained tremendous attention from researchers due to their unique optical, electronic, mechanical, chemical, and thermal properties. Furthermore, to enhance the properties of pristine carbon nanomaterials, their hybrid materials have been synthesized. Even though tremendous advancement in carbon nanomaterials-based electronic devices and sensors has been achieved, a few challenges need to be addressed before the commercialization of carbon nanomaterials-based devices. Apart from the improvements, the device to device variations, and extrinsic factors like dielectric layers, metal contact resistance remain an issue. Strategies such as chemically tuning and enhancing the properties of carbon nanomaterials are important for the further improvement of carbon nanomaterial-based device performance. This chapter focuses on understanding the basic electronic properties of graphene, CNT. and carbon quantum dots/fullerenes and their applications in electronic devices (field-effect transistors, diodes, etc.), optoelectronics, and various chemical and physical sensors.