FLAME SURFACE-MODIFIED SYNTHETIC GRAPHITE CHARACTERIZATION - MAPS

Synthetic graphite sheet is commonly used as a heat spreader in electronics. It is mass produced and cheap, has high thermal and electric conductivity and good IR transmission and reflectivity. Unfortunately, artificial graphite sheets are a poor electrode due to poor contact with water and polar solvents. We have found that a simple flame treatment was able to improve graphite surface wettability. Compared to untreated synthetic graphite (SG), flame surface-modified graphite (SG-FT) is a better electrode for polyaniline (PANI) electrodeposition. A DSSC using PANI/SG-FT has better conductivity and improved performance than PANI/SG. Therefore, flame surface-modified graphite is a promising electrode for various applications, e.g. batteries, supercapacitors, solar cells and organic electronics. We have made preliminary characterizations to understand flame surface modification. Raman measurement fails to reveal any structural changes, while IR measurement reveals C-H sp2 bond formation. This means that the surface modification is very minimal, yet drastically changes its wettability. We wish to further investigate the effect of flame modification on the synthetic graphite surface over time as well as investigating the effect of water on the graphite structure. The INS spectroscopy is highly sensitive to hydrogen bonds which is suitable for further surface characterization. We would like to request MAPS INS measurement to see C-H and O-H stretching region.