Size-controllable templates for the synthesis of porous carbon with tunable pore configurations

• Microporous carbon (MPC) and hierarchically porous carbon (HPC) were designed.
• Controlling the pH values endows resulting carbons with tunable pore structures.
• MPC shows microporous structure with high surface area of 2068 m2 g−1.
• MPC is promising for supercapacitors with a high capacitance of 287 F g−1.

Microporous carbon (MPC) and hierarchically porous carbon (HPC) were precisely designed by a colloidal process using the same carbon source and pore template. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) hydrolysis and condensation reaction under acid condition yields the MPC featuring a highly microporous structure with BET surface area of 2068 m2 g−1 and pore volume of 0.99 cm3 g−1 while the reaction under alkaline condition makes the resulting carbon with hierarchically porous structure (HPC), giving a surface area of 1051 m2 g−1 and pore volume of 0.8 cm3 g−1. MPC is also proved to be a promising candidate for supercapacitors with a high capacitance of 287 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 and 152 F g−1 at 50 A g−1.