Hydrothermal Carbonization and Characterization of Glucose in the Presence of a Copper Catalyst

Recently, carbonaceous structures have drawn considerable attention owing to their electrochemical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Compared to conventional carbonization processes, hydrothermal carbonization has many merits, such as its relatively low processing temperature (below $400^{\circ}C$ ) and simple apparatus. In this study, hydrothermal carbonized structures were fabricated using a glucose solution of varying concentrations in the presence of a copper catalyst. The copper catalyst decreased the diameter of the hydrothermal-carbonized sphere. When the glucose concentration was low, the shape of the hydrothermal-carbonized material changed from spherical to planar.