Preparation of conductive carbon films from polyacrylonitrile/graphene oxide composite films by thermal treatment

Electrically-conductive carbon films were prepared by the thermal treatment of polyacrylonitrile/ graphene oxide (PAN/GO) composite films. PAN/GO composite films spin-coated on substrates were stabilized in air and then carbonized under inert atmosphere at 1000 degrees C to form carbon films. It was found that the cyclization of PAN and the partial reduction of GO occurred simultaneously during stabilization. The incorporation of GO was found to help to lower the energy and temperature of cyclization by an additional ionic reaction mechanism and to form large and compact crystalline structures. The electrical conductivity increased to 5.92 x 10(2) S/cm with an increasing GO content. (C) 2017 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.