| 초록 |
In this study, thermal oxidation, which has only been considered as a degradation pathway for plastics, served as a simple and effective pre-treatment method to convert the chemical structure of ‘non-carbonizable’ linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) for successful carbonization. Interestingly, LLDPE based carbon could be graphitized into a highly ordered graphitic carbon with exceptional electrical performance exceeding that of Super-P, a pricey reference conductive agent for lithium ion battery fabrication. Upon thermal oxidative pre-treatment, inherently non-carbonizable LLDPE was successfully transformed into an ordered carbon through heat treatment with a high conversion yield reaching 50 %, a yield comparable that obtained from polyacrylonitrile (PAN), a reference polymeric precursor. Systematic interrogation of the chemical structural evolution confirmed that an oxidation reaction initiated transformation of aliphatic chains into cyclized ladder structures. The thermally oxidized LLDPE evolved into a highly graphitic carbon that exhibited superior degree of ordering and electrical performance over a graphitized PAN counterpart. |
