Enhanced electrical conductivity of pitch-derived carbon via graphene template effects for high electrically conductive composites

Abstract

Large-scale preparation of cheap and high-performance carbonaceous materials is in urgent need due to the huge demand of carbonaceous materials-organic binder composites for Joule heating. Here, carbon-based electrothermal composites with high electrical conductivity were fabricated by adjusting the morphology and structure of pitch-based carbonaceous materials (PC) through the use of graphene as structure-directing agent to tune the orientation and carbonization of coal pitch. It is demonstrated that the addition of graphene can effectively promote the formation of graphitized carbon, increase the content of sp2C, reduce defective carbon and increase the graphite interlayer spacing. 1% graphene-added PC-PVDF composite exhibits 290% increase in the carrier concentration, 190% enhancement in mobility, and 67% reduction in the volume resistivity compared to PC-PVDF composite. Molecular simulations elucidate that the graphene edges favor pitch carbonization and improve the orientation factor and energy gap of carbon materials. This study provides clues for design of low-cost pitch-derived carbon materials-binder composites.