Formation Mechanisms of Hierarchical Porosity in Carbon Aerogel

Carbon aerogels are highly porous and low-density materials exhibiting exceptional structural, electrical, electronic, and electrochemical properties offering a broad scope for applications such as energy storage, catalysis, water desalination/filtration, and more. The present approaches for synthesizing these materials are multi-step and non-sustainable. In contrast, we have recently developed a single-step, scalable, and green approach for synthesizing these hierarchically porous materials using a protein precursor method. The resulting structure shows porosity on multiple scales and exhibits beneficial properties in water filtration applications. In this presentation, we will discuss the detailed formation mechanisms of this complex architecture and explore the range of parameters associated with the precursor materials, focusing on the resulting structure-property relationships.