Manipulation of graphene work function using a self-assembled monolayer

Abstract

We report an effective and reliable method to increase the work function of graphene to as high as 5.50 eV by applying a self-assembled monolayer on its surface. The work function of pristine graphene (4.56 eV) was increased by approximately +0.94 eV following trichlorosilane (HDF-S) self-assembly. This increase in the work function was confirmed by ab initio calculations. HDF-S self-assembled graphene exhibited no significant changes in structural, optical, or electrical characteristics compared with pristine graphene. In addition, we verified that the modified work function of HDF-S self-assembled graphene was not affected by the underlying substrates.