5. Carbon Gels for Electrochemical Applications

Due to their conductivity and adjustable pore texture, carbon gels have been considered as alternative materials to activated carbons, graphite, and carbon blacks in electrochemical applications such as electrochemical double-layer supercapacitors, lithium (or sodium) ion batteries, and proton exchange membrane fuel cells. This chapter reviews the use of carbon gels with tailored pore texture as electrode materials for the three applications. In each case, the advantages and drawbacks are identified and discussed, especially regarding the processing of carbon gel materials into composite electrodes, i.e., layers made from a powdery carbon and a binder. Like in catalysis processes, carbon gels may give quite interesting properties to the final electrochemical device, provided their features are properly tuned and the electrode processing is mastered. Indeed, pore texture adjustment often leads to decreasing mass-transport issues, and the possibility to modify the surface chemistry is an asset towards electrode/electrolyte interface optimization.