Graphitic Crystallite Nanomaterials Enable the Simple and Ultrafast Synthesis of Resorcinol-Formaldehyde Carbon Aerogel Monoliths

Abstract

Herein, we describe a simple and ultrafast method to synthesize carbon aerogel monoliths from resorcinol (R) and formaldehyde (F) using graphitic crystallite nanomaterials (GCNs). GCNs can significantly catalyze the gelation of RF at room temperature within 30 min, and provide the resulting aerogels with a strong support to resist the enormous surface tension due to heat drying and construct developed channels with dimensions of hundreds of nanometers with the RF gel particles, thereby permitting water to quickly and isotropically vaporize during hydrogel drying. Consequently, carbon aerogel monoliths without any fractures can be synthesized within one day by direct heat drying under ambient pressure instead of the conventional 1-2 weeks. These carbon aerogels have highly developed mesoporosity, high compressive strength of 24-82 MPa and electrical conductivity of 9-25 S/cm, depending on the dosages of GCNs, catalyst and water, as well as their subsequent treatment.

Keywords: nanostructures, aerogels, Carbon, density functional theory calculations, mesoporous materials