A graphene nanoribbon network and its biosensing application

Abstract

Graphene oxide nanoribbons (GONRs) have been prepared by chemically unzipping multiwalled

carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Thin-film networks of GONRs were fabricated by spray-coating,

followed by a chemical or thermal reduction to form reduced graphene oxide nanoribbons (rGONRs).

Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterizations indicate that the

thermal reduction in the presence of ethanol vapor effectively restores the graphitic structure of the

GONR as compared to chemical reduction with hydrazine vapor. Electrical measurements under

a liquid-gate configuration demonstrates that rGONR network field-effect transistors exhibit much

higher on/off ratios than a network of microsized reduced graphene oxides (rGOs) or a continuous film

of single-layered pristine or chemical vapor deposited (CVD) graphene. Furthermore, we demonstrated

the potential applications of rGONR networks for biosensing, specifically, the real-time and sensitive

detection of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules.