Macroporous carbon coatings through carbonization of emulsion-templated poly(dicyclopentadiene) on metal substrates

Abstract

In this article, we demonstrate the fabrication of thin and macroporous carbon coatings that adhere to various metal substrates such as nickel- or aluminum-based foils or meshes. The coating process is a combination of emulsion-templating and the doctor-blade method, which allows to prepare up to 350 µm thick poly(dicyclopentadiene) membranes with a polyHIPE (polymerized high internal phase emulsions) architecture. Carbonization of these poly(dicyclopentadiene) membranes directly on the metal substrates resulted in up to 30-µm-thick foamy carbon coatings that retain the highly porous architecture and flexibility. Subsequently, carbon foam-coated Ni-foils were filled with elemental sulfur by a melt diffusion technique. A macroporous carbon coating supported sulfur loadings up to 65 wt%, obtaining cathodes for galvanostatic cycling experiments in Li–S cells. The latter revealed discharge capacities higher than 800 mA h−1 according to the sulfur mass. With our approach, the final assembly of the electrodes is greatly simplified because no binders or conductive fillers are required. Graphical abstract

Macromolecular chemistry in Austria

“…Two works focus on porous polymers another focal point of Polymer Chemistry in Austria. A collaborative paper (National Institute of Chemistry Ljubljana, VARTA Innovation GmbH, and Graz University of Technology) presents the preparation of macro-porous carbon coatings through carbonization of emulsion-templated poly(dicyclopentadiene) on metal substrates and the use of these structures as binder-free current collector in lithium-sulfur cells [8]. The other contribution in the field of porous polymers is from Andreas Mautner (University of Vienna) and collaborators and presents the foaming of oxidized nano-cellulose for the preparation of high-flux water filters [9].…”