Structural and electrical transport of carbon nanofibers derived from dihydro-2,5-furandione

Carbon nanofibers of 50-500 nm diameter and several micrometer length were synthesized by high-temperature pyrolysis of dihydro-2,5-furandione (C4H4O3) in the temperature range of 600-980 °C. The formation of both graphitic and non-graphitic structured carbon fibers was observed in high-resolution transmission electron microscope. The Raman spectra of the samples showed the presence of both the D and G bands of varying intensity and sharpness. The low-temperature electrical transport studies on the samples have shown interesting metal-insulator transitions. The films showed variable range hopping conduction in the insulating regime and power law behavior in the critical regime at low temperatures.