Tuning the properties of boron-doped reduced graphene oxide by altering the boron content

The design and fabrication of electronic devices based on graphene nanomaterials are dependent on the tuning of Fermi levels. This can be achieved by doping graphene oxide (GO) with an electron-withdrawing (p-type) or electron-donating (n-type) species that causes changes in the electron density and enhances the electrochemical properties. In this research, the effect of boron content on the optical, electrochemical, and conductivity properties of GO was investigated. Boron-doped reduced graphene oxide (B-rGO) was synthesized via a chemical vapor deposition method by using GO and varying amounts of boric anhydride, as a boron precursor, at a doping temperature of 600 °C. The B-rGO samples were characterized by standard spectroscopic techniques. B-rGO had a sheet structure with various graphene islands and disordered regions. The highest boron content incorporated into the reduced GO framework was 7.12%. B-rGO samples manifested strong absorption in the ultraviolet region. An electronic band structure with a low charge resistance of 20.23 Ω and enhanced electrical conductivity properties of 5.920 S cm−1 was observed and noted to be dependent on the concentration of boron incorporated. All the B-rGO samples demonstrated a p-type conductivity behaviour which is attributed to an increase in the density of states near the Fermi level. This work opens a new avenue for the fabrication of solar cells based on p-type B-rGO.