Self-assembly of 3D Carbon Nanotube Sponges: A Simple and Controllable Way to Build Macroscopic and Ultralight Porous Architectures

Macroscopic and 3D superaligned CNT (SACNT) sponges are fabricated through a simple, low-cost, controllable, and scalable self-assembly method without using organic binder. Sponges with specific shapes and densities can be achieved. SACNT sponges are ultralight (1-50 mg cm^-3 ), highly porous (97.5%-99.9%) with honeycomb-like hierarchical structure, and highly conductive. Using SACNT sponges as templates, various materials with honeycomb-like structure can be obtained for wide applications.

Self-assembled and pyrolyzed carbon aerogels: an overview of their preparation mechanisms, properties and applications

An overview of the synthesis conditions and mechanisms for the fabrication of different types of carbon aerogels, as well as the structural and functional properties of these materials, is presented here. In this overview, carbon aerogels are classified into three major categories: (i) conventional pyrolyzed organic-based carbon aerogels, which are products of the pyrolysis process of organic aerogels; (ii) self-assembled carbon aerogels, which are products of a reduction process; and (iii) nanocomposite carbon aerogels. Synthesis mechanisms for the sol-gel process of organic aerogels are reviewed using different mechanisms suggested in the literature. Moreover, the overall fabrication process of self-assembled carbon aerogels (graphene and carbon nanotube aerogels) is covered and the suggested mechanism for the gelation process of self-assembled carbon aerogels during the reduction process is investigated using reported mechanisms. The structural performance and functional properties (electrochemical and thermal properties) of different types of carbon aerogels are covered in detail. Moreover, different structural features of carbon aerogels and the influence of synthesis conditions on these structural characteristics are assessed and compared. Based on the literature results covered in this review paper, carbon aerogels are perfect candidates for the fabrication of ultra-low density supercapacitors, as well as thermal insulating materials.

Three dimensional macroporous architectures and aerogels built of carbon nanotubes and/or graphene: synthesis and applications

Carbon nanotubes and graphene are some of the most intensively explored carbon allotropes in materials science. This interest mainly resides in their unique properties with electrical conductivities as high as 10(4) S cm(-1), thermal conductivities as high as 5000 W m(-1) K and superior mechanical properties with elastic moduli on the order of 1 TPa for both of them. The possibility to translate the individual properties of these monodimensional (e.g. carbon nanotubes) and bidimensional (e.g. graphene) building units into two-dimensional free-standing thick and thin films has paved the way for using these allotropes in a number of applications (including photocatalysis, electrochemistry, electronics and optoelectronics, among others) as well as for the preparation of biological and chemical sensors. More recently and while recognizing the tremendous interest of these two-dimensional structures, researchers are noticing that the performance of certain devices can experience a significant enhancement by the use of three-dimensional architectures and/or aerogels because of the increase of active material per projected area. This is obviously the case as long as the nanometre-sized building units remain accessible so that the concept of hierarchical three-dimensional organization is critical to guarantee the mass transport and, as consequence, performance enhancement. Thus, this review aims to describe the different synthetic processes used for preparation of these three-dimensional architectures and/or aerogels containing either any or both allotropes, and the different fields of application in which the particular structure of these materials provided a significant enhancement in the efficacy as compared to their two-dimensional analogues or even opened the path to novel applications. The unprecedented compilation of information from both CNT- and graphene-based three-dimensional architectures and/or aerogels in a single revision is also of interest because it allows a straightforward comparison between the particular features provided by each allotrope.