Roles of nickel layer deposition on surface and electric properties of carbon fibers

Electroless plating of metallic nickel on carbon fiber surfaces was carried out to control specific electric resistivity of the fibers, and the effects of the nickel content and coating thickness on the electric properties were studied. The structural and surface properties of the carbon fibers were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The specific resistivity of the fibers was measured using a four-point probe testing method. From the XPS results, the oxygen and Ni atomic ratio of the fibers was greatly enhanced as the plating time increased. Additionally, it was observed that the specific electric resistivity decreased considerably in the presence of metallic nickel particles and with the formation of nickel layers on carbon fibers.