Mesoporous Carbon Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion

To meet the high-speed commercialization demands of electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices, the development of high-performance and low-cost electrode materials is urgently necessary. Mesoporous carbon, which shows excellent intrinsic characteristics and flexible structure, has raised a surge of interest recently since it offers opportunities for improving the energy or power density and durability as well as reducing the cost of electrodes. In this paper, we first review primary methods for preparing mesoporous carbons. Next, the obstacles in lithium batteries, supercapacitors, proton exchange membrane fuel cells and water electrolyzers are analyzed and the recent progresses of mesoporous carbon based electrode designs in solving these obstacles are systematically introduced. Finally, we outline current challenges and future directions of developing mesoporous carbon based electrode materials in electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices. In creating this review, we hope to give a succinct introduction to the mesoporous carbon and provide meaningful references for its future research.