A dual templating route to three-dimensionally ordered mesoporous carbon nanonetworks: tuning the mesopore type for electrochemical performance optimization

Abstract

To well understand the effect of the mesopore type of ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) on enhancing energy storage and conversion is still a great challenge because of the extreme difficulties in exploring new methods to create OMCs with different types of mesopores. Herein, we develop an intriguing dual-templating co-assembly/hydrothermal approach to realize nanostructure engineering in OMCs with various types of mesopores from three-dimensional (3D) cubic (OMCNW-c) to 2D hexagonal mesopores (OMCNW-h) and 0D mesoporous carbon nanospheres (OMC-S) for their electrochemical performance optimization in supercapacitors and oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs). The results show that OMCNW-c exhibits a specific capacitance of 215 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹, higher than those of OMCNW-h and OMC-S, good capability and excellent cycling performance with no capacity fading even after 10 000 cycles. Furthermore, OMCNW-c shows much better electrocatalytic activity for ORR than OMCNW-h and OMC-S. The present investigations give strong evidence that tuning mesopore type of OMCs can contribute another important factor in enhancing catalysis and energy storage. We believe that the present synthetic strategy for different types of mesoporous nanomaterials with desirable structure and morphology can open a new approach to future novel mesoporous materials for greatly improved catalytic and energy applications.