# The Preparation of Thin Conductive Polyimide Foils for Nuclear Targets

## TL;DR

This paper presents a new method to quickly create thin, conductive plastic foils for use in nuclear physics experiments.

## Contribution

A novel approach using a sacrificial layer and graphene to produce thin polyimide foils in 24 hours.

## Key findings

- Freestanding polyimide films with an areal density of 30 μg/cm2 were successfully fabricated.
- The new method significantly reduces the time and difficulty of producing thin conductive foils.
- Graphene-based materials enhance the conductivity of the polyimide films.

## Abstract

Thin and conductive
plastic foils are of great interest to the
target preparation and nuclear physics communities as a backing support
for neutron-induced reaction measurements. This paper describes the
preparation and characterization of thin, freestanding conductive
polyimide films with an areal density suitable for target preparation
in nuclear chemistry applications. The films were fabricated by blending
a variety of graphene-based nanoparticles, a custom-made graphene
suspension, and carbon nanotubes within a polymer matrix. The fabrication
of freestanding polyimide films with an areal density of 30 μg/cm2 (∼210 nm) was both time-consuming and difficult. Here,
a novel approach is described that employs a sacrificial layer and
graphene material to make thin (pure and conductive) polyimide foils
readily available within 24 h.