Single-step rapid synthesis of monolithic mesoporous carbon/graphene aerogels with improved double layer capacitance

Abstract

Resorcinol (R)–formaldehyde (F) aerogels are a class of organic aerogels pursued for their conversion to carbon aerogels upon pyrolysis at higher temperatures under an inert atmosphere. RF aerogels can be prepared by either acid or base catalysed condensation of resorcinol and formaldehyde via electrophilic aromatic substitution. Recently, RF was used as an interconnect between graphene sheets to form three-dimensional assemblies of graphene aerogels. In this study, we have demonstrated a novel and facile approach to the gelation of an RF network by taking into account the possibility of deprotonation of oxygen functionalities present in graphene oxide (GO). The as-prepared RF/GO gels were carbonized to obtain mesoporous carbon (MC)/graphene (G) aerogels (MCGAs), which exhibit high specific surface area, increased electrical conductivity and specific capacitance on a par with reported graphene aerogels prepared by other synthetic routes.