Freestanding Nitrogen‐Doped Carbons with Hierarchical Porosity for Environmental Applications: A Green Templating Route with Bio‐Based Precursors

• DOI: 10.1002/gch2.202100062
• Publication Date: 2021-08-19T10:31:48Z
• Authors: Mojtaba Mohseni; Nikolai Utsch; Christian Marcks; Kristof Demeestere; Gijs Du Laing; Süleyman Yüce; Robert G. Keller; Matthias Wessling
• Keywords: Heteroatom; Zeolitic imidazolate framework; Carbon fibers

Powdery hierarchical porous carbons serve as cost-effective, functional materials in various fields, namely energy storage, heterogeneous catalysis, electrochemistry, and water/wastewater treatment. Such powdered activated (PAC) limit new module designs require further preparation steps, for example, adding polymeric binders, to be shaped into a standalone geometry. Polymeric however, can block PACs' catalytic active sites and, more importantly, pose the risk of secondary pollution environmental purposes, especially context clean water supply. This study introduces novel synthesis method fabricating freestanding nitrogen-doped with porosity using chitosan sucrose green precursors. Chitosan supplies nitrogen acts backbone, giving geometry final product, is carbon-rich precursor. The proposed employs ice- hard-templating macropores mesopores combines carbonization activation steps no required activating agent. Final function adsorbents removing persistent pollutants, binder-free electrodes high specific surface area capacitive current, tubular gas diffusion oxygen reduction reactions. These enable scaled-up by numbering-up, serving bio-based wide range applications involving heteroatom-doped carbons.