Activated graphene-derived porous carbon with exceptional gas adsorption properties

• Synthesis of activated graphene derived porous carbon (a-GDCs) through finely controlled KOH chemical activation.
• a-GDCs show exceptional porosity characteristics, compared to other porous carbons reported in the literature.
• Highly interconnected network of micro- and mesopores present in a-GDC act as active sites for gas adsorption.
• a-GDCs exhibit excellent gas adsorption properties for CO2, CH4 and H2.

Designing nanoporous materials with high surface area, large porosity, superior structural stability and amenability to various processing conditions, is important to meet the commercial demands of large-scale reversible gas storage systems. Here, we demonstrate a simple approach to synthesize highly porous activated graphene-derived carbon (a-GDC), with ultra-high surface area (∼3240 m2 g−1) and enhanced porosity characteristics, from thermally exfoliated graphite oxide (TEGO), through an efficient and finely controlled KOH chemical activation process. a-GDCs with highly interconnected network of micro- and mesopores show excellent gas storage properties for CO2, CH4 and H2, with exceptionally high adsorption capacities and fast sorption kinetics, superior to other high surface area nanoporous carbons. The results show great promise for the development of efficient carbon based sorbents for effective CO2 capture and energy storage applications.

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