Highly efficient n-type doping of graphene by vacuum annealed amine-rich macromolecules

Abstract

Flexible transparent conducting electrodes (FTCE) are an essential component of next-generation flexible optoelectronic devices. Graphene is expected to be a promising material for the FTCE, because of its high transparency, large charge carrier mobilities, and outstanding chemical and mechanical stability. However, the electrical conductivity of graphene is still not good enough to be used as the electrode of an FTCE, which hinders its practical application. In this study, graphene was heavily n-type doped while maintaining high transmittance by adsorbing amine-rich macromolecules to graphene. The n-type charge-transfer doping of graphene was maximized by increasing the density of free amine in the macromolecule through a vacuum annealing process. The graphene adsorbed with the n-type dopants was stacked twice, resulting in a graphene FTCE with a sheet resistance of 38 ohm/sq and optical transmittance of 94.1%. The figure of merit (FoM) of the graphene electrode is as high as 158, which is significantly higher than the minimum standard for commercially available transparent electrodes (FoM = 35) as well as graphene electrodes doped with previously reported chemical doping methods. Furthermore, the n-doped graphene electrodes not only show outstanding flexibility but also maintain the doping effect even in high temperature (500 K) and high vacuum (~10-6 torr) conditions. These results show that the graphene doping proposed in this study is a promising approach for graphene-based next-generation FTCEs.