Influence of nitrogen doping and K2CO3 activation on the microstructure of carbon aerogels and xerogels

Abstract

Carbon materials are used in many applications. They can be produced in various ways, but usually the received properties strongly depend on the production process. Carbon aerogels and xerogels have a great potential for a wide variety of applications due to the high inner surface area, high pore volume and adjustable microstructure. Such applications are adsorption, catalysis, supercapacitors, fuel cells or batteries. Carbon aerogels and xerogels are three-dimensional, open porous carbon materials that are produced through carbonization of organic aerogels or xerogels. In this study, the aerogels and xerogels are based on resorcinol-formaldehyde and resorcinol-melamine-formaldehyde polymers. In order to design the microstructure, activation with potassium carbonate and nitrogen doping with melamine or urea is carried out during the carbonization of the organic aerogels or xerogels. In addition, nitrogen doping is investigated by incorporation of melamine into the resorcinol-formaldehyde structure during synthesis. The poster will focus on our recent studies showing the influence of different synthesis techniques on the physicochemical properties of doped and activated carbon aerogels and xerogels using physisorption measurements, scanning electron microscopy, electrical conductivity measurements and Raman spectroscopy.