Edge doping of graphene sheets Original Research Article

We present a direct comparison between two fundamental methods of chemically doping the 2-dimensional graphene sheet: (1) passivation of dangling σ-bonds resulting from a vacancy defect and (2) charge transfer from adsorption on the pristine basal plane. Using electron beam lithography and the negative tone resist hydrogen silsesquioxane, we are able to observe the doping contribution from the passivation of such defects that naturally reside along the edge of graphene sheets, and directly compare them to the doping limitations of basal plane adsorption methods. We demonstrate that the passivation of the edge is over three orders of magnitude more efficient for chemical doping than adsorption, in terms of conducting carriers donated per available C-atom. Moreover, as large-area graphene sheets are tailored into nanoscale devices, and the portion of C-atoms that occupy the edge increases, we demonstrate that edge decoration becomes a more pronounced method of chemical doping, exhibiting a scaling law that will induce vast carrier densities and dominance over adsorption techniques in the nanoscale.