Recent advances in graphene based photoresponsive materials

Recent scientific interests reveal that graphene, with its flexibility, chemical stability, thermal conductivity,unique electronic band structure and optical transmittance, has emerged as the novel supporting material for nanocomposites for various applications. Research interests have flourished regarding decoration of conventional materials with modified graphene for achieving better optical properties. More concern is given for achieving improved photoresponse with graphene as the supporting material. The giant electron mobility and transparency of graphene enables the photo-induced electron transfer in the hybrid material, resulting in enhanced behaviour. Graphene oxide is able to effectively convert near infrared energy into heat, potentially acting as a photo-thermal switch. They act as potential candidates for photo-catalysts, sensors, photo-current switching,photo-detectors and other optical applications. In this review, we summarized the recent developments on fabrication and properties of graphene based photoresponsive materials.