High-Surface-Area, Emulsion-Templated Carbon Foams by Activation of polyHIPEs Derived from Pickering Emulsions

• Main Authors: Robert T. Woodward, François De Luca, Aled D. Roberts, Alexander Bismarck
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2016-09-01
• Series: Materials
• Subjects: carbon; polyHIPE; carboHIPE; Pickering emulsion; carbonization; microporous; emulsion template
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/9/9/776

Carbon foams displaying hierarchical porosity and excellent surface areas of >1400 m2/g can be produced by the activation of macroporous poly(divinylbenzene). Poly(divinylbenzene) was synthesized from the polymerization of the continuous, but minority, phase of a simple high internal phase Pickering emulsion. By the addition of KOH, chemical activation of the materials is induced during carbonization, producing Pickering-emulsion-templated carbon foams, or carboHIPEs, with tailorable macropore diameters and surface areas almost triple that of those previously reported. The retention of the customizable, macroporous open-cell structure of the poly(divinylbenzene) precursor and the production of a large degree of microporosity during activation leads to tailorable carboHIPEs with excellent surface areas.