Carbon aerogel monoliths from polymers: A review

Carbon materials have always been an important part of high-performance materials. Carbon aerogel monoliths (CAMs) combine the properties of carbon materials (such as hydrophobicity, thermal stability, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity) and the characteristics of aerogels (such as self-supporting 3D connectivity network, ultra-low density, extremely high porosity and specific surface area). Therefore, CAMs attract wide attention in pressor sensors, adsorption, supercapacitors, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, catalysis, solar-powered seawater desalination (SSD) and phase-change materials (PCMs). However, the fabrication of CAMs always requires removing of atoms and consuming of energy, which is not benefit for greenhouse gas (GHG) control. In this review, the CAMs based on ‘polymerized’ polymers in recent years are summarized, including the raw materials, preparation methods, applications, properties and improving methods. The timely summary and discussion will be helpful to promote the reduction of polymers for functional carbon materials towards more livable environment, cleaner energy and more sensitive conduction in the future.