Abstract
In this manuscript, we describe the results of our recent studies on carbon aerogels derived from natural starches. A facile method for the fabrication of carbon aerogels is presented. Moreover, the complete analysis of the carbonization process of different starch aerogels (potato, maize, and rice) was performed using thermogravimetric studies combined with a detailed analysis of evolved decomposition products. The prepared carbon aerogels were studied in terms of their morphology and electrical properties to relate the origin of starch precursor with final properties of carbon materials. The obtained results confirmed the differences in carbon aerogels’ morphology, especially in materials’ specific surface areas, depending on the botanical origin of precursors. The electrical conductivity measurements suggest that carbon aerogels with the best electrical properties can be obtained from potato starch.
Highlights
It is often assumed that aerogels are products of the latest technology
The thermal decomposition of various origin starches carried out under inert atmosphere was studied with the use of the EGA(FTIR)-TGA/DTA/DTG coupled method
The main starch decomposition stage ran within the temperature range of 230–350 ◦ C, connected with additional mass loss equal to 64.7 wt %, 66.9 wt %, and 65.6 wt %
Summary
It is often assumed that aerogels are products of the latest technology. As a matter of fact, the first aerogels were prepared in 1931 by Steven S. In contrast to the conventional porous carbon materials, carbon aerogels have a continuous network structure of interconnected nanosized primary particles [4] These ultralight carbon materials exhibit extraordinary properties, including well-defined and controlled porosity, large surface area, chemical stability, and low electrical resistance, which make them desirable materials for a wide range of technological applications (e.g., thermal insulation [5,6,7], heavy metal or organic solvents absorption [8,9,10], energy storage [11,12,13,14], catalyst supports [15,16,17], and biomedicine [18,19,20])
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