Ultrafast formation of conductive nitrogen-rich carbon nanofibers from PAN by rapid thermal processing

Electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers are widely used as precursors for carbon nanofibers, but their conversion typically relies on time- and energy-intensive high-temperature processes. Here, we demonstrate that rapid thermal processing (RTP) enables the formation of electrically functional carbon nanofiber networks within seconds. Following conventional oxidative stabilization, PAN nanofiber mats were treated under nitrogen by RTP at 800-1000°C with dwell times between 5 to 120 seconds. Electrical measurements reveal a sharp decrease in sheet resistance with increasing RTP temperature, reaching a minimum value of 29 Ω sq −1 after 120 s at 1000°C. Structural and spectroscopic analyses indicate the rapid formation of electrically conductivesp 2 -rich carbon, while longer dwell times lead to progressive compositional and structural refinement. These results demonstrate that, once stabilized, PAN nanofibers can be converted into electrically conductive carbon on timescales orders of magnitude shorter than conventional processes, establishing RTP as an effective route for the ultrafast fabrication of functional carbon nanofibers.