Abstract
Templated carbon materials have recently received tremendous attention due to energy storage and separations applications. Hierarchical structures are ideal for increased mass-transport throughout the carbon material. A new ordered mesoporous carbon material has been developed using glyoxal which exhibits a hierarchical structure with pore sizes up to 200 nm. The hierarchical structure arises from the cross linking reagent and not from the standard spinodal decomposition of a secondary solvent. The carbon material was studied for potential application as a capacitive deionization (CDI) electrode for brackish water. Results indicate that the hierarchical structure provides a pathway for faster adsorption kinetics when compared to standard resorcinol-formaldehyde CDI electrodes.
