Advances in porous carbon materials for a sustainable future: A review.

Developing clean and renewable energy sources is key to a sustainable future. For human society to progress sustainably, environmentally friendly energy conversion and storage technologies are critical. The use of nanostructured advanced functional materials heavily influences the functionality of these systems. Porous carbons are multifunctional materials boasting considerable industrial utility. They possess many remarkable physiochemical and mechanical characteristics which have garnered interest in various fields. In this review, the application of porous carbon materials in electrocatalysis (HER, OER, ORR, NARR, and CORR) and rechargeable batteries (LIBs, LiS batteries, NIBs, and KIBs) for renewable energy conversion and storage are discussed. The suitability of porous carbon materials for these applications is discussed, and some recent works are reviewed. Finally, a few viewpoints on developing porous carbons in electrocatalysis and rechargeable batteries are given. This review aims to generate interest in current and upcoming researchers in porous carbon application for a sustainable future.