Nanoporous Cu-C composites based on carbon-nanotube aerogels

Current synthesis methods of nanoporous Cu-C composites offer limited control of the material composition, structure, and properties, particularly for large Cu loadings of greater than or similar to 20 wt%. Here, we describe two related approaches to realize novel nanoporous Cu-C composites based on the templating of recently developed carbon-nanotube aerogels (CNT-CAs). Our first approach involves the trapping of Cu nanoparticles while CNT-CAs undergo gelation. This method yields nanofoams with relatively high densities of greater than or similar to 65 mg cm(-3) for Cu loadings of greater than or similar to 10 wt%. Our second approach overcomes this limitation by filling the pores of undoped CNT-CA monoliths with an aqueous solution of CuSO4 followed by (i) freeze-drying to remove water and (ii) thermal decomposition of CuSO4. With this approach, we demonstrate Cu-C composites with a C matrix density of similar to 25 mg cm(-3) and Cu loadings of up to 70 wt %. These versatile methods could be extended to fabricate other nanoporous metal-carbon composite materials geared for specific applications.