Designer carbons templated by pillared clays: Lithium secondary battery anodes

This work describes the designed synthesis and physical characterization of carbons containing predictable microporosity. The approach is to pyrolyze aromatic hydrocarbons such as pyrene within a pillared clay. The pillared clay serves two functions. It performs as the inorganic template around which the designer carbon can be formed, and it acts as an acid catalyst to promote condensation of the aromatics similar to the Scholl reaction. These precursors then undergo thermal polymerization and carbonization at 700 degrees C. Removal of the pillared clay template is accomplished by standard acid demineralization techniques, leaving behind carbons with 15 to 50 Angstrom holes.