Conductive organic materials such as graphite and graphene are of great interest in the production of energy storage devices and organic sensors due to their excellent electronic properties. The demand for high performance electronic devices has furthered the need for conductive materials with complex architectures. Additive manufacturing technologies, such as Stereolithography (SLA), have helped enable the production of conductive components with architectures not achievable through conventional manufacturing methods. However, there are some drawbacks to contemporary methods and materials, including the need for 3D printable composite resins with high percentages of carbon-based filler to achieve conductivity.  This requirement makes SLA 3D printing challenging since the fillers hinder the photocuring process.  Additionally, the presence of the fillers can produce defects throughout the matrix due to poor dispersion.  
To circumvent these drawbacks, LLNL researchers developed a nitrile-containing photopolymer resin capable of graphitization via a thermally induced chemical transformation. The researchers were inspired by polyacrylonitrile (PAN), a precursor to the production of conductive carbon-fibers due to its ability to be graphitized in high yield. However, PAN is very difficult to process, thus limiting its commercial utility to solution-spun fibers and films.