Dehalogenation on the surface of nano-templates: A rational route to tailor halogenated polymer-derived soft carbon

Soft carbon with tailored morphology and structure has attracted growing interest due to its appealing applications for energy storage and conversion. Facile and efficient synthesis routes are being actively pursued for high-performance soft carbon with tunable physical properties. Herein, a rational strategy for the synthesis of tailored soft carbon has been raised by making use of dehalogenation of halogenated polymer on the surface of nano-templates. The obtained soft carbon with uniform interconnected porous networks shows appreciable specific surface area (500 m2 g−1), excellent electrical conductivity of 781 S m−1, controllable disordered level and graphitic interlayer distance. Furthermore, the unique pore structure is beneficial for realizing effective nitrogen-doping, which is promising electrode material for supercapacitors. This work offers an exciting route for readily designing soft carbon materials with well-tuned properties for advanced energy-related applications.