Functionalization of graphene quantum dots by fluorine: Preparation, properties, application, and their mechanisms

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) possess unique photoelectronic properties ascribed to quantum confinement and edge effects, which have evoked important development and wide application in the optoelectronic field. Doping GQDs with heteroatoms can further modulate the energy band structure and thus produce unexpected properties. Herein, we obtained fluorine-doped GQDs (F-GQDs) by adopting an effective preparation technique, which includes the treatment of the as-prepared reaction precursor, fluorinated carbon fibers, with ultrasonic liquid phase exfoliation. The proposed method is simple, handy, and low-cost, opening up an alternate approach to prepare F-GQDs. Through multiple characterization techniques, the effective incorporation of fluorine in GQDs was confirmed, and the as-prepared F-GQDs exhibit excellent photoelectrical properties and good ultraviolet absorption performances. Accordingly, we have fabricated a vertical photovoltaic UV detector based on F-GQDs. The unoptimized device has an exceptionally large ratio of photocurrent to dark current of magnitude ∼105, and its detectivity (D*) could stabilize at around 1012 Jones at room temperature under λ = 365 nm light irradiation and reverse bias voltage.