Fabrication of mesophase pitch-derived open-pore carbon foams by replication processing

The replication process, extensively used for the fabrication of metallic sponges, is proposed for the fabrication of mesophase pitch-derived open-pore carbon foams. The mesophase pitch is liquid infiltrated into packed preforms of leachable NaCl particles which are afterwards water dissolved. The resulting material is a pitch-derived foam with an interconnected porous network that replicates the architecture of the salt packed preform. These structures are stabilized by an oxidation treatment and can be subsequently subjected to further treatments of carbonization and graphitization. Replication processing allows precision and uniformity in the pore size and versatility in the volume fraction and shape of pores.