When graphene oxide is reduced, the functional groups are released and the structure becomes more ordered. The degree of reduction might be tunable with the process parameters. In our work, graphene oxide is prepared and the effect of thermal and chemical reduction is investigated. The samples are characterized with TG/DTA-MS, SEM-EDX, TEM, XPS, ATR-FTIR, Raman spectroscopy and XRD. Their electrical resistance, cyclic voltammetry and photocatalytic activity data are investigated. The conductivity can be varied by several orders of magnitude, offering a tool to match its electrical properties to certain applications. Low temperature reduction in air offers a material with the highest capacitance, which might be used in supercapacitors. The bare graphene oxide has considerably larger photocatalytic activity than P25 TiO₂. Reduction decreases the activity, meaning that reduced graphene oxide can be used as an electron sink in composite photocatalysts, but does not contribute to the photocatalytic activity by itself.

In this work, we study the influence of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on the morphology and chemistry of highly porous N,S-doped carbon cryogels. Simultaneously, we propose an easily upscalable route to prepare such carbons by adding graphene oxide (GO) in as-received suspended form to the aqueous solution of the ι-carrageenan and urea precursors. First, 1.25–5 wt% GO was incorporated into the dual-doped polymer matrix. The CO₂, CO, and H₂O emitted during the thermal treatments resulted in the multifaceted modification of the textural and chemical properties of the porous carbon. This facilitated the formation of micropores through self-activation and resulted in a substantial increase in the apparent surface area (up to 1780 m²/g) and pore volume (up to 1.72 cm³/g). However, adding 5 wt% GO led to overactivation. The incorporated rGO has an ordering effect on the carbon matrix. The evolving oxidative species influence the surface chemistry in a complex way, but sufficient N and S atoms (ca. 4 and >1 at%, respectively) were preserved in addition to the large number of developing defects. Despite the complexity of the textural and chemical changes, rGO increased the electrical conductivity monotonically. In alkaline oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) tests, the sample with 1.25 wt% GO exhibited a 4e⁻ mechanism and reasonable stability, but a higher rGO content gradually compromised the performance of the electrodes. The sample containing 5 wt% GO was the most sensitive under oxidative conditions, but after stabilization it exhibited the highest gravimetric capacitance. In Li-ion battery tests, the coulombic efficiency of all the samples was consistently above 98%, indicating the high potential of these carbons for efficient Li-ion insertion and reinsertion during the charge–discharge process, thereby providing a promising alternative for graphite-based anodes. The cell from the 1.25 wt% GO sample showed an initial discharge capacity of 313 mAh/g, 95.1% capacity retention, and 99.3% coulombic efficiency after 50 charge–discharge cycles.

The potential applications of mesoporous carbon aerogels are wide-ranging. These gels are often obtained from resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) hydrogel precursors. The sol-gel method in this synthesis provides an efficient and versatile means of product control through systematic variation of process conditions, such as pH, stoichiometry, concentration, catalyst, further additives, etc., in addition to the drying and pyrolytic conditions. Here, a novel means of tuning the texture of carbon aerogels is proposed. Water-1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate ([emim][EtSO₄] mixtures constitutes a polycondensation medium that requires no added catalyst, thus yielding an intrinsically metal-free carbon aerogel after pyrolysis. We also show that the carbon morphology is tailored by the supramolecular structure of the aqueous ionic liquid. The results of scanning electron micrographs, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) confirm that changing the initial water concentration from 9 to 55 wt % gives rise to systematic alteration of the mesopore size and volume, as well as of the bead size. The pore structure becomes consolidated only when the water content exceeds 25 wt %. When the water content reaches 55 wt %, the bead size increases by two orders of magnitude. The electrocatalytic performance, however, is compromised, most probably by structural defects.

In this paper we report the synthesis of a N, S co-doped metal free carbon cryogel obtained from a marine biomass derived precursor using urea as nitrogen source. Natural carrageenan intrinsically contains S and inorganic salt. The latter also serves as an activating agent during the pyrolytic step. The overall 11.6 atomic % surface heteroatom concentration comprises 5% O, 4.6% N and 1% S. The purified and annealed final carbon (CA) has a hierarchical pore structure of micro-, meso- and macropores with an apparent surface area of 1070 m²/g. No further treatment was applied. The gas adsorption potential of the samples was probed with H₂, CO₂ and CH₄, while the electrocatalytic properties were tested in an oxygen reduction reaction. The atmospheric CO₂ and CH₄ storage capacity at 0 °C in the low pressure range is very similar to that of HKUST-1, with the CO₂/CH₄ selectivity below 20 bar, even exceeding that of the MOF, indicating the potential of CA in biogas separation. The electrocatalytic behavior was assessed in an aqueous KOH medium. The observed specific gravimetric capacitance 377 F/g was exceeded only in B, N dual doped and/or graphene doped carbons from among metal free electrode materials. The CA electrode displays almost the same performance as a commercial 20 wt% Pt/C electrode. The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) exhibits the 4-electron mechanism. The 500-cycle preliminary stability test showed only a slight increase of the surface charge.