Growth and properties of large-area sulfur-doped graphene films

Abstract

Heteroatom doping can effectively tune the structure and properties of graphene. Theoretical calculations indicate that sulfur doping can effectively modify the band structure and further modulate the carrier transport properties of graphene. However, it is still a big challenge to synthesize large-area sulfur-doped graphene (SG) films with a high sulfur doping concentration and reasonable electrical properties since sulfur has a much larger atomic radius than carbon. In this study, the solid organic source thianthrene (C₁₂H₈S₂) is employed as both a carbon source and sulfur dopant to grow large-area, few-layered SG films via chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The results show that the doping concentration, doping configuration and electrical properties can be effectively tuned via the hydrogen flux. The sulfur doping concentration is as high as 4.01 at% and the maximal mobility of SG can reach up to 270 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, which are the highest ever reported for sulfur-doped graphene.