Nanoporous carbon films have received considerable attention in fundamentals on materials science and commercial applications such as separation and purification, catalysis, electric double layer capacitance, chromatographic separation, biocatalytic sensors, and gas diffusion electrodes in proton exchange membrane fuel cell and anodes in rechargeable lithium ion batteries.1,2 Although numerous methods such as chemical vapor deposition, hydrothermal decomposition of carbide compounds, and polymer coating and pyrolysis have been developed for the fabrication of carbon film, no easily scalable self-support nanoporous carbon films have been obtained with above methods. We report the fabrication of carbon films of tunable nanoporosity. Samples were characterized with field emission scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption and desorption at 77 K, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and the electrical conductivity and cyclic voltammetry measurements. It has been determined with the nitrogen adsorption isotherms that carbon films have surface area of ca. 1000 m2g-1 and total nanopore volume of ca. 1.0 cm3g-1, and bimodal micropores and mesopores with tunable pore sizes. Cyclic voltammetry measurements show that the carbon films have both high mass-specific capacitance and volume-specific capacitance, while Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis indicate that the carbon films are chemically, thermally and mechanically stable. Hence, the carbon aerogel films are suggested to have electrochemical applications such as gas sensors, biological sensors and supercapacitors.

[1] B. M. Shiflett and C. H. Foley, Science 285, 1902 (1999).

[2] M. S. Dresselhaus, G. Dresselhaus, J. Electroceram. 1997, 1, 273-286.