Synthesis, charge transport and device applications of graphene nanoribbons

Graphene is a promising material for high-performance electronics owing to its exotic electronic structure and high mobility. However, the lack of a band gap poses an obstacle to the realization of device applications. The challenge of creating a band gap in graphene has stimulated extensive research on graphene nanoribbons. Over the past few years, atomic precision synthesis, ballistic charge transport, and high on/off ratio logic transistors have been successfully demonstrated in graphene nanoribbons. In this article, we review this subject with a special focus on material synthesis, charge transport and device applications. We will see that the transport properties and device performances depend highly on the quality of the materials and their synthesis methods. We also stress the importance of making high-quality narrow graphene nanoribbon materials for both fundamental research and electronic applications. Scalable synthesis and processing remain a long-term goal in graphene nanoribbon research for any real applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.