Elucidation of the structural development during cellulose carbonization for advanced carbon materials

So called carbon materials have become vital components in our everyday life. They are used for lightweight vehicles, harvesting and storage of green energy, and filtration and purification of waste and fresh water. Currently, carbon materials are almost exclusively based on non-renewable, fossil resources with a considerable environmental impact during their production. Cellulose as the most abundant biopolymer on earth has been considered as possible source since centuries but carbon material produced thereof is still mostly inferior to oil-based carbon. The reason for this is a lack of understanding of the processes involved during carbonization of cellulose. The CelCarbo consortium combines high-level computational simulations with detailed experimental structural analysis during the carbonization using state-of-the-art X-ray techniques to reduce our dependence on fossil resources and explore the use of local natural resources.