Chiral Nematic Mesoporous Carbon Derived From Nanocrystalline Cellulose

Abstract

Twisted organization: Pyrolysis of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC)/silica composite films leads to mesoporous carbon materials with long-range chiral organization (see picture). The NCC acts as a template and the resulting mesoporous carbon has a high specific surface area (>1400 m2 g−1) and accurately replicates the left-handed helical structure of the chiral nematic NCC films.