Poly(ionic liquid)-Derived Carbon with Site-Specific N-Doping and Biphasic Heterojunction for Enhanced CO2 Capture and Sensing

CO2 capture is a pressing global environmental issue that drives scientists to develop creative strategies for tackling this challenge. The concept in this contribution is to produce site specific nitrogen doping in microporous carbon fibers. It creates a carbon/carbon heterojunction by using poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) as soft activation agent that deposits nitrogen species exclusively on the skin of commercial microporous carbon fibers. Such carbon-based biphasic heterojunction amplifies the interaction between carbon fiber and CO2 molecule for unusually high CO2 uptake and resistive sensing.