Probing the electronic properties of chemically synthesised doped and undoped graphene derivative

Abstract

Controlled oxidation and reduction are both responsible in determining the distribution of functional groups in graphene derivatives. These functional groups are accountable for showing different types of electrical conductivity in reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and nitrogen-doped rGO (N-rGO). The study reports a new approach to obtain different electronic grades of N-rGO by simply treating rGO with ammonia solution at different temperatures. Using Hall measurements, the electrical properties of rGO and N-rGO are examined, and their conductivity type, sheet carrier density, and resistivity are calculated. The presence of oxygen-containing functional groups causes p-type conductivity in rGO but N-rGO possesses a completely different set of electronic properties due to differently aligned nitrogen-atoms in the exfoliated layers. The amount of ammonia used and the temperature at which it is synthesised are both important in the synthesis of N-rGO. Complete n-type conductivity or compensated n-type conductivity is observed in different types of N-rGOs.