Advanced nanoarchitectures of carbon aerogels for multifunctional environmental applications

Abstract

In recent decades, carbon aerogels (CAs) have attracted increasing attention. Compared with other carbon materials, CAs are available in macroscopic diverse morphologies with tunable hierarchical porosity and large specific surface area. The interconnected carbonaceous framework also endows CAs with excellent electrical properties. CA can be a promising material for various purposes through proper design and functionalization. In this article, we place an emphasis on CAs based on resorcinol-formaldehyde resin and graphene sheets. We review the state-of-the-art progress on the preparation of functionalized CAs, and the relationships between their advanced nanoarchitectures and performances in environmental remediation, including adsorption, capacitive deionization and catalysis, are discussed. The challenges in design and application of CAs are also proposed.

Keywords

• capacitive deionization
• carbon aerogel
• catalysis
• nanoarchitecture
• water purification