Che, SongweiSongweiCheJasuja, KabeerKabeerJasujaBehura, Sanjay K.Sanjay K.BehuraNguyen, PhongPhongNguyenSreeprasad, T. S.T. S.SreeprasadBerry, VikasVikasBerry2025-08-302025-08-302017-07-1210.1021/acs.nanolett.7b014582-s2.0-85024392569https://d8.irins.org/handle/IITG2025/2243828586228Binding graphene with auxiliary nanoparticles for plasmonics, photovoltaics, and/or optoelectronics, while retaining the trigonal-planar bonding of sp² hybridized carbons to maintain its carrier-mobility, has remained a challenge. The conventional nanoparticle-incorporation route for graphene is to create nucleation/attachment sites via "carbon-centered" covalent functionalization, which changes the local hybridization of carbon atoms from trigonal-planar sp² to tetrahedral sp³. This disrupts the lattice planarity of graphene, thus dramatically deteriorating its mobility and innate superior properties. Here, we show large-area, vapor-phase, "ring-centered" hexahapto (η⁶) functionalization of graphene to create nucleation-sites for silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) without disrupting its sp² character. This is achieved by the grafting of chromium tricarbonyl [Cr(CO)<inf>3</inf>] with all six carbon atoms (sigma-bonding) in the benzenoid ring on graphene to form an (η⁶-graphene)Cr(CO)<inf>3</inf> complex. This nondestructive functionalization preserves the lattice continuum with a retention in charge carrier mobility (9% increase at 10 K); with AgNPs attached on graphene/n-Si solar cells, we report an ∼11-fold plasmonic-enhancement in the power conversion efficiency (1.24%).falsefunctionalization | Graphene | nanoparticles | photovoltaics | plasmonicsArticle153069924381-438912 July 201742arJournal40WOS:000405643300055