Poly(imine-cyanurate)-derived carbon aerogels with tunable morphology and multifunctional performance

Carbon aerogels are highly porous, lightweight materials valued for their tunable structure, chemical versatility, and multifunctional performance. The combination of high surface area, thermal stability, and heteroatom doping potential makes them suitable for applications ranging from thermal insulation to energy storage and catalysis. In this work, we report the synthesis of heteroatom-containing carbon aerogels derived from aromatic poly(imine-cyanurate) networks via a sol-gel process followed by pyrolysis. Three distinct imine-based precursor systems were designed to yield aerogels with comparable macroscopic characteristics but differing nanostructures. Upon carbonization at temperatures ranging from 500 to 1100 °C, the resulting carbon aerogels exhibited low bulk densities (183–496 mg cm⁻³ ), high porosity (76–90 %), and tunable surface areas up to 540 m² g⁻ ¹. Their versatility was demonstrated by evaluating them in two application areas: thermal insulation and electrochemical energy storage. The aerogels displayed thermal conductivities as low as 20.4 mWm⁻ ¹K⁻ ¹, along with flame resistance and mechanical robustness. Electrochemical analysis further revealed promising capacitance behavior, with specific electrochemical double layer capacitance values that, in some cases, surpassed those of commercial carbon black (Vulcan XC-72R). These results underscore the potential of aromatic poly(imine-cyanurate)-derived carbon aerogels as a versatile platform for application-driven materials design.