Preparation of Conductive Carbon Films from Poly(vinyl alcohol) by Chemical Pre-Treatment and Pyrolysis

In this study, conductive carbon thin films were prepared from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) thin films through iodine pretreatment and pyrolysis. PVA thin films spin-coated on a substrate were iodinated with an aqueous NH4I/I-2 solution. The iodinated PVA thin films were stabilized in air and then pyrolyzed under inert atmosphere to form carbon thin films. As a result, iodine pretreatment was found to enhance the thermal stability of the PVA. Carbon films with imperfect graphitic structures were formed by pyrolysis of the stabilized PVA films containing polyene structures. The carbon films showed a high electrical conductivity of 2.00x10(2) S/cm and a greatly low surface roughness of below 1.0 nm.