Graphene nanoribbon

Graphene nanoribbons (GNR) are narrow strips of graphene with abundant edges and high aspect ratio. The edge functionalization can alter the chemical properties of the GNR to afford them good dispersibility and strong interfacial interactions with various materials. Such properties have made GNR suitable for producing a variety of composites, particularly as conductive fillers that provide percolation at a comparatively small mass loading due to the high aspect ratio and high conductivity. GNR have been used in sensors, energyconversion/storage devices, and electrochemical, photochemical and thermoelectrical systems. They have also been intensively studied for biochemical and biological applications such as bioimaging, biosensing, DNA sequencing, and neurophysiological recovery.

Graphene nanoribbons (GNR) made by oxidative splitting of carbon nanotubes exhibit good solubility in a number of polar solvents such as water and ethanol. These nanoribbons can be easily exfoliated into single-layer ribbons upon sonication.