Nitrogen-containing nanoporous carbons with high pore volumes from 4-(4-nitrophenylazo)resorcinol by a Mg(OH)2-assisted template carbonization method

Producing nanoporous carbons that possess high porosity and superior electrochemical performance is a challenge for scientists. In this work, a simple and efficient template carbonization method, without any physical/chemical activation treatment, has been implemented to produce nanoporous carbons doped with nitrogen species. 4-(4-Nitrophenylazo)resorcinol serves as a carbon/nitrogen source and Mg(OH)(2) as a hard template. All resultant carbon samples are amorphous, highly porous in nature and display sheet-like nanostructures. The carbon-1:3-L sample whose precursor is obtained by solution method exhibits better porosity, and larger nitrogen content, than those obtained by solid state method (the carbon-1: 3-S sample). The carbon-1:3-L sample exhibits large specific surface area (S-BET) of 1427.7 m(2) g(-1), and high total pore volume (V-T) of 5.91 cm(3) g(-1), whereas those of the carbon-1:3-S sample are of 1036.6 m(2) g(-1) and 4.76 cm(3) g(-1), respectively. Notably, the present pore volumes are much higher than most of the previously reported for nanoporous carbons. As a consequence, the carbon-1:3-L sample delivers superior electrochemical behaviors, whose specific capacitance reaches up to 378.5 F g(-1) when measured at 1 A g(-1) in a three-electrode system, compared with that of 263.4 F g(-1) of the carbon-1:3-S sample. The present Mg(OH)(2)-assisted template carbonization method is simple and easy to operate, indicating its potential application for producing nanoporous carbons.