Porous carbon and carbon/metal oxide microfibers with well-controlled pore structure and interface.

A "brick-and-mortar" assembly approach for creating porous carbon and carbon/metal oxide fibers on the micron scale with well-defined pore structure and interface is presented. A series of monodisperse silica@polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and silica@metal oxide@PAN core/shell particles were synthesized by emulsion polymerization and assembled into organic-inorganic composite fibers through a simple ice-templating strategy with the assistance of polyvinyl alcohol. Porous carbon and carbon/metal oxide fibers with well-controlled pores and interfaces were created by oxidative stabilization and carbonization of composite fibers followed by removal of silica cores with hydrofluoric acid or concentrated alkali. The pore structure and the carbon/metal oxide interfaces of the fibers impart to the fibers' lightweight and potential applications in catalysis, electrochemical energy, and gas or liquid separations and storage.