Multiwalled carbon nanotube cryogels with aligned and non-aligned porous structures

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) cryogels were fabricated with aligned and non-aligned porous structures. The MWCNT cryogels contained a major fraction of MWCNTs with a minor fraction of silk fibroin as the structure binder. The morphology of the porous structures was controlled using a sol–gel process of silk fibroin to form the network structures. Microchannel structures were formed by ice-templating. The MWCNT cryogels contained mesopores and formed as monoliths. The MWCNT cryogels with aligned porous structures showed better thermal stability and electrical conductivity than the MWCNT cryogels with non-aligned porous structures due to the advantageous MWCNT interconnections. The morphology of the porous structures was examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The structure–property relationships of the MWCNT cryogels and the performance of the MWCNT cryogels as electrodes were investigated.