Hirotomo Nishihara

The template carbonization method is a powerful tool for producing carbon materials with precisely controlled structures at the nanometer level. The resulting templated nanocarbons exhibit extraordinarily unique (often ordered) structures that could never be produced by any of the conventional methods for carbon production. This review summarizes recent publications about templated nanocarbons and their composites used for energy storage applications, including hydrogen storage, electrochemical

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 cm3 g-1), very high surface area (∼4000 m2 g-1), good compatibility with chemical modification, and remarkable softness/elasticity. Thus, ZTC

Ordered macroporous silica, a silica gel microhoneycomb (SMH), has been prepared through a method which uses micrometer-sized ice crystals as a template. Template ice crystals, which have a continuous rod shape, a polygonal cross section, and ordered diameters, were grown inside precursor silica hydrogels under a condition where the pseudo-steady-state growth of them continues. Besides their ordered macroporosity, micro-/mesopores develop inside the honeycomb walls through the freeze-drying of S

Super-stable mesoporous carbon sheet made of edge-free graphene walls enabled the assembly of symmetric supercapacitors with excellent stability under 3.5 V@60 °C and 4.4 V@25 °C conditions, even with a conventional electrolyte.

High-pressure hydrogen storage in zeolite-templated carbon (ZTC) was investigated at room temperature (30 °C). Several types of ZTCs with different surface areas and a nitrogen-doped ZTC were prepared. Their hydrogen storage performance at room temperature was examined and the results were compared with those of commercial activated carbons. At pressures below 10 MPa, the hydrogen uptake capacity was simply proportional to specific surface areas of the carbons, and both ZTCs and activated carbon

An ordered microporous carbon, which was prepared with zeolite as a template, was used as a model material to understand the ion storage/transfer behavior in electrical double-layer capacitor (EDLC). Several types of such zeolite-templated carbons (ZTCs) with different structures (framework regularity, particle size and pore diameter) were prepared and their EDLC performances were evaluated in an organic electrolyte solution (1 M Et(4)NBF(4)/propylene carbonate). Moreover, a simple method to eva

An oxidation‐resistant and elastic mesoporous carbon, graphene mesosponge (GMS), is prepared. GMS has a sponge‐like mesoporous framework (mean pore size is 5.8 nm) consisting mostly of single‐layer graphene walls, which realizes a high electric conductivity and a large surface area (1940 m 2 g −1 ). Moreover, the graphene‐based framework includes only a very small amount of edge sites, thereby achieving much higher stability against oxidation than conventional porous carbons such as carbon black

Despite recent advances in the carbonization of organic crystalline solids like metal-organic frameworks or supramolecular frameworks, it has been challenging to convert crystalline organic solids into ordered carbonaceous frameworks. Herein, we report a route to attaining such ordered frameworks via the carbonization of an organic crystal of a Ni-containing cyclic porphyrin dimer (Ni₂-CPD_Py). This dimer comprises two Ni-porphyrins linked by two butadiyne (diacetylene) moie

MgO has specific catalysis for CH₄-to-C conversion, and functions as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly template to produce graphene mesosponge with developed porosity, excellent stability, and super soft and elastic properties.