VISION:

Abstract

Carbon forms a vast number of compounds, dominates the organic chemistry and is the basis of all known life on earth. It forms several allotropes of which best known are graphite, diamond, carbon nano-tubes (CNT), graphene and fullerenes. The properties of these allotropes vary significantly, offering numerous unique features which will dominate an increasing number of future technologies. They span a range of extremes from a) hardest materials known (“diamond”) to b) softest materials (“graphite”), c) best thermal conductor (diamond) to d) chemical inertness and e) biocompatibility (graphene, diamond), to mention only few. Carbon based materials can be fabricated as fiber, sheets, foam, particles, and tubes raging from macroscopic dimensions down to the nano-scale. Especially nano-scale carbon materials like expanded graphite and graphene are currently developed for applications like super-capacitors where large surface enlargements in combination with durability and chemical stability are important. Equally important progress is achieved on topics like electro-catalytical reactions generated by graphene-composite applications. The production of these allotropes cover numerous methods and are currently entering high technology readiness levels to be implemented in markets like airplane and car productions (carbon fibers), in electronics (diamond and graphene) and energy storage devices like super-capacitors (expanded graphite, graphene) as well as in power grits (diamond power-electronics). Due to the fact that diamond and graphene are biocompatible and chemically inert, sensing devices for monitoring environmental pollutions and for bio-medical applications are currently developed. Carbon based nanostructures will be applied in key technologies of the future like drinking water production facilities, in membranes for bio-fuel cells, in synthetic photosynthesisdevices which require pore-dimensions in the nano-scale and in hydrogen storage and processing devices as macromolecules. Due to the foreseen “trillion sensor” demand within the next decade only carbonbased devices will fulfill environmental requirements with respect to sustainability and environmental soundness. Therefore a technology transition away from the currently very successful Si-based electronics towards carbon based devices is very likely to come. This book is focusing on “functionalities and applications of carbon materials in electrochemistry”. It summarizes in one headline and 14 general papers the most important progress achieved in the fields of carbon alloy catalyst developments, glassy carbon electrolysis, porous carbon electrodes, preparation of activated carbon, graphene and graphene-composite based electrochemistry, diamond applications and mono-dispersed carbon particles. It demonstrates impressively the potential of carbon based allotropes in the field of electrochemistry, which emerges again to become a major science in the development and optimization of future technologies. Christoph E. Nebel Doctor, Fraunhofer-Institute for Applied Solid State Physics Electrochemistry, 83(5)