Preparation of carbon gels with a hierarchical pore system of micro-meso-macropores using thermoplastic resins as a template

摘要

Resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) carbon gels are a promising candidate in electrode materials used in energy storage devices, such as lithium-ion batteries and electric double layer capacitors, due to its hierarchical pore system of micro-and mesopores and the tunability of these pores. Typically, their pore sizes can be controlled by their synthesis conditions, but its range is limited to the mesopore region (approx.2-50 nm). Here we report the synthesis of carbon gels with a hierarchical pore system of micro-meso-macropores from RF gel incorporating acrylic resin particles. The resin particles were used as a template to introduce macropores. Macropores were expected to be formed through the decomposition of the resin particles during carbonization of the RF gels. In this method, the macropore size of carbon gels can be readily controlled without hardly affecting its micro-and mesopores by changing the particle size of the acrylic resin template.