Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), the narrow elongated strips of graphene with ultra-high aspect ratio and edge dependent properties, have recently attracted much interest as an excellent candidate to replace graphene, particularly if synthesized by unzipping multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Nitrogen doping is one of the promising ways to tune the properties of GNRs. In the present study, nitrogen doped and undoped MWCNTs are synthesized through a catalytic chemical vapour deposition technique followed by oxidation based chemical unzipping. Oxidized GNRs are then simultaneously reduced and nitrogen doped in ammonia at elevated temperatures (300 oC-700 oC) and compared with reduction by hydrazine. Electron micrographs (Fig. 1) illustrated that bamboo structures in nitrogen doped samples are successfully unzipped, although their unzipping mechanism is significantly different from the undoped ones.  X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy also showed a wide range of nitrogen doping level is obtained up to 11 at. % (Fig. 2), which has never previously been reported in the literature for graphene based materials. 

Simultaneous thermal reduction and nitrogen doping of chemically oxidized graphene nanoribbons

248th National Meeting (2014)

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