Abstract

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are materials with properties distinct from those of other carbon allotropes. The all-semiconducting nature of sub-10-nm GNRs could bypass the problem of the extreme chirality dependence of the metal or semiconductor nature of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in future electronics. Currently, making GNRs using lithographic, chemical or sonochemical methods is challenging. It is difficult to obtain GNRs with smooth edges and controllable widths at high yields. Here we show an approach to making GNRs by unzipping multiwalled carbon nanotubes by plasma etching of nanotubes partly embedded in a polymer film. The GNRs have smooth edges and a narrow width distribution (10-20 nm). Raman spectroscopy and electrical transport measurements reveal the high quality of the GNRs. Unzipping CNTs with well-defined structures in an array will allow the production of GNRs with controlled widths, edge structures, placement and alignment in a scalable fashion for device integration.

Keywords

Graphene nanoribbonsCarbon nanotubeMaterials scienceRaman spectroscopyNanotechnologyGrapheneEtching (microfabrication)LithographyCarbon fibersSemiconductorOptoelectronicsComposite materialLayer (electronics)Composite number

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Publication Info

Year
2009
Type
article
Volume
458
Issue
7240
Pages
877-880
Citations
2391
Access
Closed

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Cite This

Liying Jiao, Li Zhang, Xinran Wang et al. (2009). Narrow graphene nanoribbons from carbon nanotubes. Nature , 458 (7240) , 877-880. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07919

Identifiers

DOI
10.1038/nature07919
PMID
19370031

Data Quality

Data completeness: 81%