The Synthesis and Application of 3D CarbonFrameworks with Periodic Structure

The Synthesis and Application of 3D Carbon Frameworks with Periodic Structure

Carbon is one of the most versatile elements on the periodic table when it comes to bonding; Smalley famously says that carbon has "bonding chutzpah". However, rationally connecting carbon into three-dimensional open (read: porous) frameworks with long-range ordering remains challenging. Why? In this work we begin with a vision toward idealized 3D connected frameworks based on Schwarz's minimal surfaces known as "schwarzites" and explore one promising approach to the synthesis of schwarzites via hard templating. The so-realized materials are not yet schwarzites but have interesting properties in their own right, and are referred to as "zeolite-templated carbon" (ZTC). Herein, we will compare ZTC to other classes of rationally designed carbon frameworks and report on the many applications of ZTC as a model material for fundamental studies of energy storage on carbon-based surfaces.