Abstract
Thin layers of highly conductive graphitic carbon have been deposited onto nickel plated steel substrates using a direct photothermal chemical vapour deposition (PTCVD) technique. The coated nickel plated steel substrates have improved electrical properties (sheet resistance and interfacial contact resistance) compared to the pristine nickel plated steel, which makes it a cost effective alternative to stainless steel for steel producers to use in high-end electrical applications such as energy storage and microelectronics. The coated nickel plated steel has been found to have an approximately 10% reduction in sheet resistance, and a 200 times reduction in interfacial contact resistance (under compression at 140 N cm-2), compared to the pristine nickel plated steel. The interfacial contact resistance is also three times lower than that of a benchmark gold coated stainless steel equivalent at the same pressure.