Poly(Ionic Liquid)-Derived Carbon with Site-Specific N-Doping and Biphasic Heterojunction for Enhanced CO Capture and Sensing.

CO 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. Following this approach a carbon/carbon heterojunction is created by using a poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) as a "soft" activation agent that deposits nitrogen species exclusively on the surface of commercial microporous carbon fibers. This type of carbon-based biphasic heterojunction amplifies the interaction between carbon fiber and CO molecule for unusually high CO uptake and resistive sensing.