Synthetic porous carbons for clean energy storage and conversion

Abstract

Synthetic porous carbons (SPCs) are important materials in fundamental research and industrial applications due to their diverse structures at different dimensions, intriguing physio-chemical properties, exceptional thermal and chemical stability, etc. In particular, the features including high electron conductivity, accessible active surface/interface, and developed porosity warrant their superior performances in clean energy storage and conversion. In this review, we summarize the latest advances in SPCs, serving as electrodes for this ever-increasing energy storage and conversion-related directions, e.g., supercapacitors, rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, etc. We emphasized rational design and targeted synthesis of SPCs based on bottom-up strategy, the effective methods for precise tuning of their core parameters, and the disclosure of their structure-performance correlations. The challenges of fine-tuning surface chemistry by doping heteroatoms, engineering defective sites, and optimizing compositions are discussed, which could endow the SPCs with new functions and potential applications. Finally, we outlined the developing trend and design principle of the new generation of SPCs for clean energy storage and conversion. We expect that this review could inspire interdisciplinary activities between the synthesis, physical and chemical studies of SPCs and other potential applications in addition to energy storage and conversion.