title: Electrochemically active nitrogen-enriched nanocarbons with well-defined morphology synthesized by pyrolysis of self-assembled block copolymer.
abstract: Novel nanoporous nitrogen-enriched carbon materials were prepared through a simple carbonization procedure of well-defined block copolymer precursors containing the source of carbon, i.e., polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and a sacrificial block, i.e., poly(n-butyl acrylate) (PBA). The preparation of nitrogen-enriched nanocarbons with hierarchical pore structure was enabled by the high fidelity preservation of the initial phase-separated nanostructure between two polymer blocks upon carbonization. Supercapacitors fabricated from the prepared carbons exhibited unusually high capacitance per unit surface area (>30 μF/cm(2)) which was attributed to the pseudocapacitance resulting from the high nitrogen content originating from the PAN precursor. Electrochemical availability of the nitrogen species was also evident from the results of oxygen reduction experiments. The hierarchical pore structure and the high nitrogen content in such materials make them particularly promising for use in supercapacitor and electrocatalyst applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Mingjiang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Eun Kyung
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: McGann
authors.forename: Sang-Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Chun
authors.forename: Jay F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Whitacre
authors.forename: Mietek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jaroniec
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matyjaszewski
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kowalewski
mesh_terms: D000179:Acrylates / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D016062:Porosity; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000179:Acrylates; D000180:Acrylic Resins; D011108:Polymers; C498324:poly(n-butyl acrylate); C010504:polyacrylonitrile; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen