Dual phase separation for synthesis of bimodal meso-/macroporous carbon monoliths

Polymerization-induced spinodal decomposition was conducted in glycolic solutions of phloroglucinol/formaldehyde copolymer and poly(ethylene oxide) - poly(propylene oxide) - poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO - PPO - PEO) to synthesize bicontinuous macroporous morphologies with microdomains from 0.5 to 6 μm. The polymeric materials were further carbonized at elevated temperature to yield bimodal meso-/macroporous carbon monoliths after the thermal decomposition of the PEO - PPO - PEO template. The bimodal porous nature of the resultant carbon monoliths was derived from the dual phase separation in which spinodal decomposition and microphase separation occurred simultaneously. We demonstrated the tunability of macropores without alteration of mesopore sizes.