A graphene nanoribbon network and its biosensing application.

Graphene oxide nanoribbons (GONRs) have been prepared by chemically unzipping multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Thin-film networks of GONRs were fabricated by spray-coating, followed by a chemical or thermal reduction to form reduced graphene oxide nanoribbons (rGONRs). Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterizations indicate that the thermal reduction in the presence of ethanol vapor effectively restores the graphitic structure of the GONR as compared to chemical reduction with hydrazine vapor. Electrical measurements under a liquid-gate configuration demonstrates that rGONR network field-effect transistors exhibit much higher on/off ratios than a network of microsized reduced graphene oxides (rGOs) or a continuous film of single-layered pristine or chemical vapor deposited (CVD) graphene. Furthermore, we demonstrated the potential applications of rGONR networks for biosensing, specifically, the real-time and sensitive detection of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules.