Mechanochemical Synthesis of Porous Carbons and Their Applications in Catalysis

Porous carbons have shown considerable potential in catalysis as either as supports or metal-free catalysts. Various methods based on solution chemistry have been intensively developed for the preparation of porous carbon-based catalysts with controllable morphology, pore structure, surface chemical property as well as the desired active sites. Nowadays, mechanochemical synthesis, a re-emerging strategy, has become more and more popular in the synthesis of porous carbons, due to its feasibility and high synthetic efficiency under solvent-free condition. This Minireview presents recent advances in the mechanochemical synthesis of porous carbons by ball milling, and their applications in catalysis. It starts a brief introduction of the characteristics and work mechanism of ball milling, and then discuss the preparation of porous carbons as metal-free catalysts and carbon-supported metal catalysts. Finally, some issues and further opportunities for the mechanochemical synthesis of porous carbon-based catalysts are proposed and discussed.