Graphene Nanoribbons: From Photophysical Properties Towards Devices

Armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNRs) with tunable band gap are a promising material for optoelectronic devices. We have earlier investigated the optical properties of seven atom wide AGNRs (7-AGNRs) and shown how photoluminescence emission at 1.8 eV is boosted via formation of defects in the atomic lattice of the ribbons by hydrogenation or by a photochemical process [1]. Here we probe the origin of this modification by measuring the extinction spectrum of a layer of AGNRs and demonstrate photodetection using AGNRs.