Issue 38, 2020

The lightest solid meets the lightest gas: an overview of carbon aerogels and their composites for hydrogen related applications

Abstract

Hydrogen, a renewable and recyclable energy, has been regarded as the best solution for global energy supply in the 21st century. Hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and hydrogen sensing are three most important aspects for hydrogen economy. Interestingly, the lightest solid, carbon aerogels (CAs), has found wide applications in these aspects due to its unique characteristics including large specific surface area, hierarchical porous structure, high electrical conductivity, superb chemical stability, and low fabrication cost. Herein, various fabrication strategies of CAs are presented, and their applications in the three most important aspects are comprehensively reviewed. In addition, the challenges and prospects are also discussed. In the light of the recent progress in CAs for hydrogen-related applications, this review provides a comprehensive assessment on materials selection, synthesis, hydrogen adsorption characteristics of CAs and catalytic activity of CA-supported nanocatalysts, offering a strategic guide to build a close connection between CAs and hydrogen economy.

Graphical abstract: The lightest solid meets the lightest gas: an overview of carbon aerogels and their composites for hydrogen related applications

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
06 Jul 2020
Accepted
30 Aug 2020
First published
31 Aug 2020

Nanoscale, 2020,12, 19536-19556

The lightest solid meets the lightest gas: an overview of carbon aerogels and their composites for hydrogen related applications

S. Yu, S. Song, R. Li and B. Fang, Nanoscale, 2020, 12, 19536 DOI: 10.1039/D0NR05050D

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