Zeolite-templated carbons - three-dimensional microporous graphene frameworks

Zeolite-templated carbons (ZTCs) are ordered microporous carbons synthesized by using zeolite as a sacrificial template. Unlike well-known ordered mesoporous carbons obtained by using mesoporous silica templates, ZTCs consist of curved and single-layer graphene frameworks, thereby affording uniform micropore size ( ca. 1.2 nm), developed microporosity (∼1.7 cm 3 g −1 ), very high surface area (∼4000 m 2 g −1 ), good compatibility with chemical modification, and remarkable softness/elasticity. Thus, ZTCs have been used in many applications such as hydrogen storage, methane storage, CO 2 capture, liquid-phase adsorption, catalysts, electrochemical capacitors, batteries, and fuel cells. Herein, the relevant research studies are summarized, and the properties as well as the performances of ZTCs are compared with those of other materials including metal-organic frameworks, to elucidate the intrinsic advantages of ZTCs and their future development. This is a comprehensive review of zeolite-templated carbons over the past 20 years since the first synthesis in 1997.