More Sustainable Chemical Activation Strategies for the Production of Porous Carbons

The preparation of porous carbons attracts a great deal of attention given the importance of these materials in many emerging applications, such as hydrogen storage, CO2 capture, and energy storage in supercapacitors and batteries. In particular, porous carbons produced by applying chemical activation methods are preferred because of the high pore development achieved. However, given the environmental risks associated with conventional activating agents such as KOH, the development of greener chemical activation methodologies is an important objective. This Review summarizes recent progress in the production of porous carbons by using more sustainable strategies based on chemical activation. The use of less‐corrosive chemical agents as an alternative to KOH is thoroughly reviewed. In addition, progress achieved to date by using emerging self‐activation methodologies applied to organic salts and biomass products is also discussed. The development of porous carbons by greener chemical activation methodologies is an important challenge. This Review concerns recent progress in the production of porous carbons by more sustainable techniques, focusing on alternatives to KOH by using mild chemical agents, as well as the self‐activation of organic salts and biomass products.