Electrical resistivity of electroless nickel coated carbon fibers

Abstract Variation of electrical resistivity of electroless nickel-coated carbon fibers heat-treated at different temperatures was investigated. The electrical resistivity was measured using the single fiber technique. Measurement results showed that as the heat treatment temperature increased, the resistivity decreased to a temperature of approximately 300°C. A further increase of heat treatment temperature up to 450°C, however, resulted in an increase of resistivity. Structural study using X-ray diffraction indicated that a large proportion of Ni3P is formed only above 300°C, which is responsible for the increase of resistivity. Also, the increase of resistivity was found to be more pronounced and occurs at lower temperatures for samples with higher phosphorous content.