(186c) Self-Assembly of Mesoporous Carbon Nanocomposites for Thermochemical Energy Storage

Mesoporous carbon materials are promising platforms for atmospheric water harvesting and thermochemical energy storage, owing to their high specific surface area, tunable porosity, and structural stability. In this work, we explore the synthesis of mesoporous carbon nanocomposites via a soft-templating approach, utilizing resorcinol-based polymeric frameworks crosslinked with various aldehydes under acidic conditions. Acid acts as a catalyst to promote polymerization and structural development. Pluronic F127 was employed as a structure-directing agent to facilitate self-assembly, while ethanol and water served as co-solvents to improve homogeneity and promote ordered pore formation.

A systematic investigation was conducted to assess the effects of key synthesis parameters—including acid concentration, polymerization temperature, and precursor molar ratios—on the resulting pore architecture. The impact of different crosslinkers (e.g., glyoxal and terephthalaldehyde) and carbon sources (resorcinol vs. phloroglucinol) was also examined. The synthesized carbon nanocomposites were characterized by nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, revealing mesoporosity, specific surface areas exceeding 600 m²/g, and narrow pore size distributions.

This study lays the groundwork for designing porous carbon frameworks optimized for both moisture capture and low-temperature heat storage through thermochemical cycling. Future efforts will focus on correlating structural characteristics with water adsorption capacity and thermal energy release behavior. These findings underscore the importance of molecular-level control over synthesis conditions in the development of next-generation multifunctional materials for integrated water and energy applications.