Molecular absorption and photodesorption in pristine and functionalized large-area graphene layers

We studied the photodesorption behavior of pristine and nitric acid (HNO(3)) treated graphene layers fabricated by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The decrease in electrical conductivity and a negative shift of the Dirac point in graphene layers illuminated with ultraviolet light are caused by molecular photodesorption, while the UV illumination does not degrade the carrier mobility of graphene layers. When graphene layers were treated with concentrated HNO(3), the photodesorption-induced current decrease became less significant than for pristine graphene layers. We suggest this is due to the passivation of oxygen-bearing functionalities to CVD grown graphene structural defects by HNO(3) functionalization, which prevents the further absorption of gas molecules. Our results provide a new strategy for stabilizing the electrical performance of CVD grown large-area graphene layers for applications ranging from nanoelectronics to optoelectronics.