Formation of Carbon-Metal Composites from Metal Ion Exchanged Graphite Oxide

Abstract

An attempt was made to prepare carbon-metal composites by the heat treatment of graphite oxide (GO) which was ion-exchanged with metal cations. The composites thus obtained were characterized to elucidate the dispersion state and the chemical form of metal species in carbon matrix. It was found that metal species are still dispersed at atomic level in the matrix of the samples prepared at 500°C and some aggregation of metal species takes place at 800°C. Furthermore, Fe-containing carbon composites showed magnetic anisotropy, which originates from spatial anisotropy of Fe species in carbon matrix. Since GO can be ion-exchanged with a variety of metal cations, this method offers a new route for preparing a variety of carbon-metal composites with anisotropic properties.