Tannins as green micro-mesoporous carbon precursors for a wide range of environmental and energy applications
Tannins are naturally occurring polyphenolic molecules that have a number of unique advantages: they are bio-based, commercially available at low cost, reproducible, non-toxic but reactive. These precursors are the natural counterpart of resorcinol and phenol, from which many carbon materials have been described. They can even polymerise without a cross-linker by self-condensation, leading to formaldehyde-free carbon precursors for example. The exceptional richness of possible formulations also makes it possible to produce thermosetting resins of all morphologies, which, once polymerised, are insoluble and infusible and thus make it possible to obtain carbonaceous materials with a totally controlled structure.
Tannin-derived carbons can be partly graphitized, and so that the entire series of nanotextures from vitreous carbon to graphite-like through turbostratic carbon can be obtained. Thus, not only are the most diverse structures possible through adequate structuring of the precursor resins, but also once the carbons have been obtained, the performances are up to expectations, whether they concern electrochemistry or adsorption for example. This can be explained by the possibility of adjusting the texture of the carbon, but also by the fact that the carbon obtained is reactive and therefore responds very well to doping and surface functionalisation, further extending its already very wide range of uses.
In this talk, I will show that there are a multitude of applications for which these tannin-derived micro-mesoporous carbons can be successfully used. Supercapacitor electrodes, carbon molecular sieves, platinum-free electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction in PEMFC fuel cells, adsorption of CO 2 , water / hydrocarbon separation, amongst others.