Impregnated cellular carbon nanocomposites
Disclosed herein is a nanocomposite including a carbonaceous perimorph, the perimorph having a diameter of less than 1,000 μm and comprising interconnected cells, each of a plurality of the cells comprising a carbonaceous cell wall possessing an average thickness of less than 100 nm or smaller and a morphology corresponding to a surface region of a, non-metallic template particle, the template particle having a diameter of less than 1,000 μm, and an interior space bounded and enclosed by the cell wall.
1 . A nanocomposite, comprising:
a continuous phase comprising a polymer; and
a discontinuous phase of templated carbon particles, each particle comprising pores impregnated by the polymer, having a diameter of less than 1,000 μm and comprising a multicellular network of interconnected cells, a plurality of the cells comprising:
a shared wall possessing an average thickness of less than 100 nm; and
an interior space comprising a collapsed, templated pore bounded and enclosed by the wall where not open to an adjoining cell's interior space, the wall deformed around the interior space.
2 . The nanocomposite of claim 1 formed by a process comprising:
forming the wall around each template particle in a population of template particles, the forming comprising template-directed chemical vapor deposition of covalently interconnected sp 2 -hybridized lattices possessing in-plane lattice defects at a vapor temperature of at most 750° C.; and
dissolving the template particles, the dissolution of each template particle forming the templated pores, the templated pores bounded by the shared wall and together with it comprising each templated carbon particle; and
after dissolving the template particles, deforming the wall and collapsing the templated pores to form the interior spaces, the multicellular network remaining intact after the deforming; and
mixing the templated carbon particles in the polymer to impregnate pores in the templated carbon particles with a portion of the polymer and to form the nanocomposite.
3 . The nanocomposite of claim 2 , wherein the template particles are porous.
4 . The nanocomposite of claim 2 , wherein the walls are characterized by an unfitted Raman spectral G peak position between 1585 cm −1 and 1600 cm −1 under optical Raman laser excitation.
5 . The nanocomposite of claim 2 , wherein the walls are characterized by an unfitted Raman spectral G peak position between 1600 cm −1 and 1615 cm −1 under optical Raman laser excitation.
6 . The nanocomposite of claim 2 , wherein the walls are characterized by an unfitted Raman spectral D peak position between 1312 cm −1 and 1332 cm −1 under optical Raman laser excitation.
7 . The nanocomposite of claim 2 , wherein the walls are characterized by an unfitted Raman spectral D peak position between 1332 cm −1 and 1352 cm −1 under optical Raman laser excitation.
8 . The nanocomposite of claim 2 , wherein the walls are characterized by an unfitted Raman spectral I D /I G peak intensity ratio between 9.50 and 1.00 under optical Raman laser excitation.
9 . The nanocomposite of claim 2 , wherein the walls are characterized by an unfitted Raman spectral I D /I G peak intensity ratio between 1.00 cm −1 and 1.50 cm −1 under optical Raman laser excitation.
10 . The nanocomposite of claim 2 , wherein the walls are characterized by a Raman spectral I Tr /I G peak intensity ratio between 0.05 and 0.30 under optical Raman laser excitation.
11 . The nanocomposite of claim 2 , wherein the walls are characterized by a Raman spectral I Tr /I G peak intensity ratio between 0.30 and 0.55 under optical Raman laser excitation.
12 . The nanocomposite of claim 2 , wherein the walls are characterized by a Raman spectral I Tr /I G peak intensity ratio between 0.55 and 0.80 under optical Raman laser excitation.
13 . The nanocomposite of claim 1 , wherein the interconnected cells are covalently interconnected.
14 . The nanocomposite of claim 1 , wherein the collapsed, templated pore comprises a pre-collapsure diameter of at least 10 nm.
15 . The nanocomposite of claim 1 , wherein the interior space comprises a smaller diameter than the pre-collapsure templated pore.
16 . The nanocomposite of claim 1 , wherein the shared wall comprises covalently interconnected sp 2 -hybridized lattices.
17 . The nanocomposite of claim 1 , wherein the templated carbon particles are chemically functionalized.
18 . The nanocomposite of claim 1 , wherein the nanocomposite comprises a percolated network of templated carbon particles.
19 . The nanocomposite of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises a thermoplastic polymer.
20 . The nanocomposite of claim 1 , wherein the templated carbon particles comprise fibrous or sheet-like microstructures.
21 . The nanocomposite of claim 1 , wherein the templated carbon particles comprise exohedral holes.
22 . A nanocomposite, comprising:
a continuous phase comprising a polymer; and
a discontinuous phase of polymer-impregnated, templated carbon particles, the particles having two distinct morphological states:
a native, templated state comprising a multicellular network of interconnected cells, each cell comprising a nanostructured wall possessing an average thickness of less than 100 nm and a templated interior space possessing diameter between 10 nm and 1,000 nm; and
the collapsed morphological state comprising a collapsure of a plurality of the interior spaces and a deformation of the nanostructured wall.
23 . A nanocomposite, comprising:
a continuous phase comprising a polymer; and
a discontinuous phase of templated carbon particles, each particle comprising pores impregnated by the polymer, having a diameter of less than 1,000 μm and comprising a multicellular network of interconnected cells, a plurality of the cells comprising:
a deformed, nanostructured cell wall possessing an average thickness of less than 100 nm; and
a collapsed pore bounded by the deformed cell wall, the collapsed pore corresponding to a templated cavity feature possessing a pre-collapsure diameter between 10 nm and 1,000 nm.