Ordered mesoporous carbon and its applications for electrochemical energy storage and conversion

Abstract

Ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) is a flexible material providing interconnected channels for the diffusion of electroactive species in electrochemical systems. This is a unique feature, which distinguishes OMC from other types of carbonaceous materials including mesoporous carbon (MC). The potential of OMC in electrochemical systems has been overshadowed by the vague terminology of this class of mesoporous materials. Despite the ordered structure of mesopores, the electrochemistry of OMC is not straightforward. This manuscript reviews the opportunities experimentally presented for employing OMC in various electrochemical power sources such as ultracapacitors, supercapacitors, battery systems, fuel cells, and electrochemical hydrogen storage systems. The aim is to highlight its potential and critical issues. For instance, the graphitization of OMC is of particular importance, as the ordered alignment of π electrons can be beneficial for charge transfer, while the mesopore edges can resemble the peculiar properties of graphene edges.