Tailoring of Multi-Scale 3D-Architected Porous Carbon

One of the biggest challenges in materials synthesis is that most manufacturing methods only allow control over one size scale in the final product. This research project aims to create porous carbon materials with structures tailored at the nanostructure (<100 nm), microstructure (<1 m), and architecture (>10 m) levels by combining two materials synthesis techniques: 1. template-assisted sol-gel chemistry, a bottom-up approach where a liquid precursor solution (sol) is transformed into a solid network, while maintaining the shape of templating agents in the final structure 2. additive manufacturing using vat photopolymerization, a process in which a liquid resin is transformed into a solid using light. The main idea of the project is to attach light-reactive groups to chemicals such as resorcinol or tannin which are then coated on polymer particles such as polystyrene nanofibers which serve as templating agents. This modified and templated particle is then processed as a colloidal suspension (sol) and serves as the starting material for vat photopolymerization to form a gel. After drying, highly porous materials are produced. By heating these porous materials in an inert gas atmosphere (such as argon or nitrogen, which prevents unwanted oxidation), the templating agents are removed, and the material is converted into porous carbon composed of hollow nanostructures, such as nanofibers. By integrating vat photopolymerization into the sol-gel process, an additional level of size control is introduced, specifically in the 100 nm to 1 m range. Vat photopolymerization uses the precise control of UV light exposure to solidify specific regions within the liquid resin, which contains the modified resorcinolannin molecules. This technique allows for control across multiple size scales: from the nanoscale (achieved through sol chemistry) to the microscale and architectural level, which enables precise tailoring of material properties. The ability to precisely control the materials porosity on multiple size scales offers novel opportunities for various applications, particularly in energy storage. In these applications, controlling a materials porosity allows to, for example, increase the surface area and therefore enhance electrochemical performance. Additionally, a structure composed of hollow nanofibers could enable faster charge and discharge rates in batteries due to improved mechanical stability. The proposed multi-scale approach to materials synthesis and design opens the door to exciting new possibilities for tailoring both physical and chemical properties. Materials prepared using this method are promising candidates in application fields such as state-of-the-art solid-state batteries and fuel cells.