Composite electrodes based on carbonized poly(acrylonitrile) foams

The authors report here the preparation and electroanalytical utility of a new composite material based on microcellular carbon foam. The carbon-foam composites are prepared in a two-step process, the first being a controlled pyrolysis of a poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) foam, followed by filling the resulting carbon foam with an insulating polymer. The morphology and dimensions of the three-dimensional carbon foam thus define the geometry of the active carbon elements in the two-dimensional surface.