Yoichi Tanabe, Yoshikazu Ito, Katsuaki Sugawara, Samuel Jeong, Tatsuhiko Ohto, Tomohiko Nishiuchi, Naoaki Kawada, Shojiro Kimura, Christopher Florencio Aleman, Takashi Takahashi, Motoko Kotani, Mingwei Chen
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Nitrogen (N) doping is one of the most effective approaches to tailor the chemical and physical properties of graphene. By the interplay between N dopants and 3D curvature of graphene lattices, N-doped 3D graphene displays superior performance in electrocatalysis and solar-energy harvesting for energy and environmental applications. However, the electrical transport properties and the electronic states, which are the key factors to understand the origins of the N-doping effect in 3D graphene, are still missing. The electronic properties of N-doped 3D graphene are systematically investigated by an electric-double-layer transistor method. It is demonstrated that Urbach-tail-like localized states are located around the neutral point of N-doped 3D graphene with the background metallic transport channels. The dual nature of electronic states, generated by the synergistic effect of N dopants and 3D curvature of graphene, can be the electronic origin of the high electrocatalysis, enhanced molecular adsorption, and light absorption of N-doped 3D graphene.
Research papers (academic journals)
