Microporous carbon with few edge sites prepared by the high-temperature transformation of zeolite-templated carbon

Mesoporous carbons with a minimal number of edge sites, have attracted considerable attention owing to their high durability, which is advantageous for battery-related applications. However, owing to their bulky mesoporous structure, such materials require larger electrode volumes in battery applications, which is a drawback. Therefore, the development of microporous carbons with minimal edge sites are demanded. We report that a simple high-temperature treatment of zeolite-templated carbon (ZTC), an ordered microporous carbon, at 1600 °C yields an edge-site-depleted microporous carbon with an average pore diameter of 1.1 nm while retaining sufficiently high specific surface area comparable to that of activated carbon. Owing to the minimal edge sites, this carbon shows significantly enhanced resistance to thermal oxidation. Moreover, its predominantly microporous architecture is expected to provide higher packing density than mesoporous carbons, leading to improved volumetric energy density in battery applications. This study demonstrates that edge-site-depleted microporous carbon can be readily prepared by a simple heat treatment of ZTC, providing a promising platform for high-performance energy storage applications.