High definition conductive carbon films from solution processing of nitrogen-containing oligomers

Carbon films and coatings are industrially very versatile and have a multiplicity of applications, such as conductive coatings or chemical and thermal protection layers. However, in most cases they are fabricated by the expensive vapor process, which has prevented a wider commercialization of these products. Herein, carbon films are fabricated using an inexpensive polymer-solution-based or sol–gel coating process, exemplified by spin coating of thin layers. As carbon precursor, the oligomeric form of acrodam, a high nitrogen-containing and non-volatile compound which is known to have excellent carbon yields, was employed. The oligomer is synthesized from commercially available starting materials (diaminomaleonitrile (DAMN) and acrolein) and dissolves in various organic solvents. The carbonized films were found to be homogeneous, optically flat, void- and crack-free, and were fabricated with up to 800 nm thickness after a carbonization step. High conductivities (up to 334 S cm1) were achieved at the carbonization temperature of 1000 C.