Hierarchical ordered mesoporous carbon from phloroglucinol-glyoxal and its application in capacitive deionization of brackish water

Templated carbon materials have recently received tremendous attention due to energy storage and separations applications. Hierarchical structures are ideal for increased mass-transport throughout the carbon material. A new ordered mesoporous carbon material has been developed using glyoxal which exhibits a hierarchical structure with pore sizes up to 200 nm. The hierarchical structure arises from the cross linking reagent and not from the standard spinodal decomposition of a secondary solvent. The carbon material was studied for potential application as a capacitive deionization (CDI) electrode for brackish water. Results indicate that the hierarchical structure provides a pathway for faster adsorption kinetics when compared to standard resorcinol-formaldehyde CDI electrodes. A formaldehyde-free mesoporous carbon has been developed that has an inherent hierarchical structure and exhibits superior capacitive deionization ion uptake kinetics when compared to traditional resorcinol-formaldehyde mesoporous carbons.