Anisotropic solution growth of 1D/2D N-rich carbon

Abstract

Despite the fact that low-dimensional carbons (LDCs, 1D/2D) materials are very interesting due to their intriguing electrical properties, we still attempt to enrich them by high N-content in order to enjoy their electro-applications. We here report a template-free synthesis of 1D/2D LDC with high N content (>40 ​at%) and tunable aspect ratios from molecular formamide (FA). The 1D/2D LDC is in polyaminoimidazole as confirmed by pair distribution function analysis, and 1D growth mode can be altered to 2D by simply adding a 2D-guiding molecule of melamine. Electrochemical properties of the LDC can be finely tuned by adjusting the solvothermal temperature and melamine dosage. It is revealed that the optimal 2D LDC delivers superior O₂-to-H₂O₂ yield (687.2 ​mmol·g⁻¹⋅h⁻¹) and Faradic efficiency (87.5%). Considering the heavy N content and high adjustability of aspect ratio, the FA-derived LDCs potentially open new synthesis routes for structural carbon materials for broad electrochemical applications.