Macroporous carbon coatings through carbonization of emulsion-templated poly(dicyclopentadiene) on metal substrates

Abstract

In this article, we demonstrate the fabrication of thin and macroporous carbon coatings that adhere to various metal substrates such as nickel- or aluminum-based foils or meshes. The coating process is a combination of emulsion-templating and the doctor-blade method, which allows to prepare up to 350 µm thick poly(dicyclopentadiene) membranes with a polyHIPE (polymerized high internal phase emulsions) architecture. Carbonization of these poly(dicyclopentadiene) membranes directly on the metal substrates resulted in up to 30-µm-thick foamy carbon coatings that retain the highly porous architecture and flexibility. Subsequently, carbon foam-coated Ni-foils were filled with elemental sulfur by a melt diffusion technique.