P-type Doping of Graphene with Cationic Nitrogen

Tailoring electrical properties of graphene by nitrogen doping is currently of great significance in a broad area of advanced applications. Bonding configuration of nitrogen atoms in graphene plays the vital role in controlling its electrical, chemical and optical properties. Here, we report for the first time a simple bottom-up synthesis of a novel cationic nitrogen-doped graphene (CNG) by a solution plasma (SP). A mixture of ionic liquid and organic solvent was used as starting precursor. CNG exhibited an orthorhombic structure possibly due to the presence cationic nitrogen in hexagonal graphene lattice. Nitrogen doping content was found as high as 13.4 at%. Electrical characterization demonstrated that the CNG exhibited a unique p-type semiconducting behavior with superior electrical conductivity and carrier concentration. Such unique electrical characteristics of CNG are mainly attributed to the presence of cationic nitrogen with preserved planar structure.