Carbide-Derived Carbons - From Porous Networks to Nanotubes and Graphene

Carbide-derived carbons (CDCs) are a large family of carbon materials derived from carbide precursors that are transformed into pure carbon via physical (e.g., thermal decomposition) or chemical (e. g., halogenation) processes. Structurally, CDC ranges from amorphous carbon to graphite, carbon nanotubes or graphene. For halogenated carbides, a high level of control over the resulting amorphous porous carbon structure is possible by changing the synthesis conditions and carbide precursor. The large number of resulting carbon structures and their tunability enables a wide range of applications, from tribological coatings for ceramics, or selective sorbents, to gas and electrical energy storage. In particular, the application of CDC in supercapacitors has recently attracted much attention. This review paper summarizes key aspects of CDC synthesis, properties, and applications. It is shown that the CDC structure and properties are sensitive to changes of the synthesis parameters. Understanding of processing-structure-properties relationships facilitates tuning of the carbon material to the requirements of a certain application.