Large-scale growth and characterizations of nitrogen-doped monolayer graphene sheets

In-plane heteroatom substitution of graphene is a promising strategy to modify its properties. Doping with electron-donor nitrogen heteroatoms can modulate the electronic properties of graphene to produce an n-type semiconductor. Here we demonstrate the growth of monolayer nitrogen-doped graphene in centimeter-scale sheets using a chemical vapor deposition process with pyridine as the sole source of both carbon and nitrogen. High-resolution transmission microscopy and Raman mapping characterizations indicate that the nitrogen-doped graphene sheets are uniformly monolayered. The existence of nitrogen-atom substitution in the graphene planes was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Electrical measurements show that the nitrogen-doped graphene exhibits an n-type behavior, different from pristine graphene. The preparation of large-area nitrogen-doped graphene provides a viable route to modify the properties of monolayer graphene and promote its applications in electronic devices.