Importance of graphitization catalyst deposition for the structure development of nanoscale hybrid amorphous/graphitic carbon

Graphitic and mesoporous carbon materials combine two interesting features from an engineering point of view, allowing for fast heat and mass transport. A carbon synthesis combining soft-templating with catalytic graphitization leads to mesoporous hybrid amorphous/graphitic carbons, whose subsequent selective oxidation yields mesoporous and graphitic carbons. A combination of thermal programmed oxidation, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, nitrogen and water sorption evidences the qualitative and quantitative differences in their amorphous/graphitic phases. This contribution demonstrates how graphitization catalyst deposition method and pyrolysis conditions can be leveraged to influence resulting carbon microstructure and proportions of graphitic/amorphous domains.