Chemical Preparation of Graphene-Based Nanomaterials and Their Applications in Chemical and Biological Sensors

Graphene is a flat monolayer of carbon atoms packed tightly into a 2D honeycomb lattice that shows many intriguing properties meeting the key requirements for the implementation of highly excellent sensors, and all kinds of proof‐of‐concept sensors have been devised. To realize the potential sensor applications, the key is to synthesize graphene in a controlled way to achieve enhanced solution‐processing capabilities, and at the same time to maintain or even improve the intrinsic properties of graphene. Several production techniques for graphene‐based nanomaterials have been developed, ranging from the mechanical cleavage and chemical exfoliation of high‐quality graphene to direct growth onto different substrates and the chemical routes using graphite oxide as a precusor to the newly developed bottom‐up approach at the molecular level. The current review critically explores the recent progress on the chemical preparation of graphene‐based nanomaterials and their applications in sensors. Graphene is a flat monolayer of carbon atoms packed tightly into a 2D honeycomb lattice that shows many intriguing properties meeting the key requirements for the implementation of highly excellent sensors. To realize the potential sensor applications, the key is to synthesize graphene in a controlled way, and several production techniques for graphene‐based nanomaterials have been developed. The present review critically explores the recent progress on the chemical preparation of graphene‐based nanomaterials and their applications in sensors.