Technology Summary

A method to synthesize microporous, mesoporous and macorporous carbon derived from pyrolysis of block copolymers. Block colpolymers consist of two blocks of carbonizing polymer such as polyfurfuryl alcohol and a pyrolyzing polymer such as polyethylene glycol. The copolymers were synthesized by reacting polyfurfuryl alcohol and polyethylene glycol diacid together such that they are covalently bonded by the formation of an ester linkage. The block copolymer upon pyrolysis undergoes reaction induced phase seperation to produce microporous and meso- or macroporous carbon. The pore size for the carbon can be tuned by changing the chain length of the pyrolyzing polymer block.