Ultralight carbon nanofoam from naphtalene-mediated hydrothermal sucrose carbonization

We report experimental studies of carbon nanofoam produced using a hydrothermal autoclave reactor with a sucrose solution and a small added amount of naphthalene. The foam has an average density of 85 mg/cc and is uniform in its appearance. He-ion microscopy (HeIM), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the foam samples. These show good consistency in the micro/nanostructure as well as in the elemental constitution. The vibrational and electron core-level studies suggest an open cellular structure with curved graphene walls and basal-plane oxide groups. We conclude that naphthalene-assisted hydrothermal processing of sucrose is a useful method to produce high-quality carbon nanofoams.