Chris Burket
BChE, Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware, 2002
Control of porosity, microstructure, and functionality is key to
engineering a carbon material. Pyrolysis of organic polymers produces
carbons which can be either graphitizing or non-graphitizing when
annealed at high temperatures. Although it is known that a high
degree of cross-linking in the polymer is the cause of resistance
to graphitization, the exact structure of the cross-linking in polyfurfuryl
alcohol remains a mystery. Elucidation and design of the polymer
structure will allow better control over the properties of nanoporous carbon.