Due to its unique physical and chemical properties, graphene is currently considered an ideal material for applications in electronic devices,[1] however, the lack of a band gap limits its application in the semiconducting field. Breaking the symmetry of graphene through the introduction of electron donor or acceptor heteroatoms into the graphene lattice has been proposed as a mean to controllably shift the electronic bands of graphene.[2] In this regard, nitrogen doping has been intensively studied, due to the facile doping process and the effective modulation of the electronic properties while maintaining high electrical conductivity. Because of the electron-rich nature of nitrogen, it leads to n-type electronic doping and the Fermi level is shifted above the Dirac point,[3] modifying the band gap in the material. Doped graphene could also be modified by specific reactions at the dopant heteroatom through different routes, depending on the nucleophilic or electrophilic nature of the dopant element.[4] In the particular case of graphene doped with nitrogen, N atoms could act as anchoring sites for N-alkylation reactions.[5]

In this lecture we present recent advances carried out in our group, concerning the chemical modification of N-doped graphene with different electron donor and electron acceptor moieties, as well as the influence in the electronic properties of the starting material.