| Anotation | Porous carbon materials are widely investigated for different applications ranging from adsorption, catalysis, to energy storage. High internal surface area, favourable surface chemistry, and degree of graphitization are the key properties behind their successful implementation, in addition to their nontoxicity and low cost. Different carbon-based materials in the forms of graphene, nanotubes, activated carbon, carbide-derived carbons, carbon onions, carbon fibres, template-based carbons, and carbon gels (aerogels/xerogel/cryogel) have been intensively studied so far. Among these, carbon gels are attractive because of their tunable pore sizes and pore size distributions with high internal surface area and intrinsic surface functionality, as well as their processing in the form of powder, films, fibres, and monoliths. Carbon gels are obtained from polycondensation of hydroxylated benzene (e.g., phenol, cresol, resorcinol, and hydroquinone) and aldehyde (e.g., formaldehyde, furfural), followed by drying and carbonization. The sol-gel chemistry of polycondensation controlled using various parameters of synthesis steps such as concentrations of monomers, catalysts, and diluents, as well as drying and carbonization protocols including activation, offers ways to tailor the porous structure of the resulting carbon gels. |
