Ultranarrow Photoluminescence from Individual Graphene Nanoribbons Showing Single-Photon Emission

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) combine the remarkable optical and electronic properties of graphene with the presence of a tunable band gap, making them promising for optoelectronic applications. Here, we investigate the excitonic properties of individual cove-edge GNRs through microphotoluminescence (micro-PL) spectroscopy. We observe ultranarrow emission lines with full width at half-maximum as low as 24 μeV, demonstrating a reduction of inhomogeneous broadening by 3 orders of magnitude compared to GNR ensembles. Temperature-dependent PL reveals phonon-mediated broadening mechanisms, with electron-phonon coupling parameters in agreement with ensemble studies but with dramatically reduced line widths. Time-resolved PL suggests long-lived excitonic states, while spectral diffusion analysis demonstrates stable emission energies, highlighting the exceptional quality of these GNRs as single-photon emitters. The absence of intensity blinking and low Mandel parameters further support the robustness of the emission properties. Our findings establish cove-edge GNRs as promising candidates for quantum light sources and nanoscale optoelectronic applications.