Green Synthesis, Characterization, and Properties of Carbon Aerogels

Carbon nanomaterial-based aerogels have attracted noteworthy interest owing to unique features comprising high porosity, exceptionally low bulk density, high specific surface area, tunable surface functionality, extraordinary conductivity, hydrophobicity, good chemical stability, and thermal/electrical properties. The exceptional properties of carbon-based aerogels allow them to be applied in diverse utilities such as adsorbents, sensors, fuel cells, oil/water separation, supercapacitors, etc. Unlike conventional carbon aerogels which were based on non-renewable resources (fossil fuels like petroleum and coals), recently, due to environmental pollution and lack of fossil resources, the fabrication of carbon aerogels based on the green, renewable, economical, abundant, and inexhaustible, precursors is a very attractive subject and have generated extensive interest from the scientific community and industrial community. In this chapter, many kinds of green and natural materials like cellulose, chitosan, starch, alginate, and vegetable/fruits are summarized as carbon aerogel precursors for application in different fields including oil/water separation, sensors, supercapacitors, and adsorbents. This section attempts to supply an extensive vision of the production, characterizations, features, and applications of green carbon aerogels.