Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Featuring Single-Crystal Morphology and Tunable Pore Architectures via EtOH-Mediated Micelle Assembly

Abstract

The precise control of reaction kinetics and the synchronous regulation of the micelle assembly in the soft-templating method for synthesizing ordered mesoporous carbon presents a significant challenge. In this study, a versatile ethanol-mediated self-assembly strategy is introduced to synthesize ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) with diverse morphologies and well-defined mesostructures using liquefied wood (LW). Ethanol functions as both a proton-trapping agent and a linker between carbon precursors and templates, enabling fine-tuned regulation of the self-assembly kinetics while providing additional hydrogen bonding interactions. Furthermore, the micelle structure can be precisely manipulated from cylindrical to spherical through ethanol-induced selective swelling of hydrophilic blocks, resulting in a reduction in packing parameter (p) from 1/3 < (p) < 1/2 to (p) ≤ 1/3. Notably, the spherical composite micelles self-assemble into single crystals with highly ordered body-centered mesostructures. The fabricated ordered mesoporous carbon single crystal (OMCSC) electrochemical sensing polymers exhibit absolute enantiomeric discrimination for L- and D-tryptophan. This EtOH-mediated self-assembly approach not only elucidates the role of ethanol in the self-assembly process but also offers a promising pathway for fabricating versatile OMCs from renewable biomass resources.