Effect of the perfluoroalkyl groups on the preparation of carbon-based transparent and conductive thin films from silylated graphite oxides

Carbon-based transparent thin films were prepared from the pyrolysis of silylated graphite oxide containing perfluoroalkyl groups. The saturated amount of n-hexadecylamine molecules which accommodated between the layers of silylated graphite oxide containing larger pefluoroalkyl groups was smaller than that observed for silylated graphite oxide without perfluoroalkyl groups. The resulting intercalation compounds were dispersed in a chloroform/cyclohexane solution and precursor thin films were obtained by a cast method. The sheet resistance of the obtained carbon-based films was about 5 times smaller than that of the films prepared from silylated graphite oxide prepared with the analogous hydrocarbon substituents. The spectroscopic measurements indicated that the number of defects within the carbon layers was larger, however, that of carbon atoms participating π-conjugating system was larger. This probably ascribed to the active fluorine species formed as the result of thermal decomposition of perfluoroalkyl groups. The latter was responsible for the lower sheet resistance of carbon-based thin films.