Template-free synthesis of hierarchical mesoporous carbon: Based on functional coal tar pitches with carboxylation and diketone structures

Abstract

An efficient and easy template-free method for the preparation of hierarchical porous carbons (HPCs) has been developed using low-priced coal tar pitch (CP) as the starting material. Application of the diketone (-COCO-) radical provides a carbonyl methylene group for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by condensation and produces an effective micro-mesoporous network with a high specific surface area. With the help of controlled Friedel-Crafts reaction and oxidation, carboxyl-functionalized CP is obtained as the stratified porous CP precursor, and the high-temperature decarboxylation (>230°C) helped in generating well-developed micro-mesoporous carbon. The total pore volume of porous carbon of 1277.3 and 1.45 cm³g^-1 the maximum BET surface area suggests that the rapid electrolyte ion exchange and charge transportability would be better for the electrochemical capacitor.