Porous graphene can remain all the unique nanoscale properties of individual graphene sheets. However, individual two-dimensional porous graphene products suffer from poor surface area, insufficient elasticity and poor electrical conductivity, the interconnected reproducible three-dimensional porous graphene remains a big challenge. Here, we report a MgO-templated strategy coupled with KOH activation to directly synthesize three-dimensional porous graphene from aromatic hydrocarbons. The hollow three-dimensional network consists of thin carbon sheets and is rich of micropores and mesopores. Such a three-dimensional porous configuration provides intimate structural interconnectivities, freeway for electron transports, huge accesible surface area for fast transportation and storage of electrolyte ions. The hollow three-dimensional network thus overcomes the drawbacks of presently individual two-dimensional porous graphene products and paves a new way for efficient and scale-up production of three-dimensional porous graphene materials from aromatic hydrocarbon sources for diverse practical usages, for example, high energy supercapacitors.

Porous graphene can remain all the unique nanoscale properties of individual graphene sheets. However, individual two-dimensional porous graphene products suffer from poor surface area, insufficient elasticity and poor electrical conductivity, the interconnected reproducible three-dimensional porous graphene remains a big challenge. Here, we report a MgO-templated strategy coupled with KOH activation to directly synthesize three-dimensional porous graphene from aromatic hydrocarbons. The hollow three-dimensional network consists of thin carbon sheets and is rich of micropores and mesopores. Such a three-dimensional porous configuration provides intimate structural interconnectivities, freeway for electron transports, huge accesible surface area for fast transportation and storage of electrolyte ions. The hollow three-dimensional network thus overcomes the drawbacks of presently individual two-dimensional porous graphene products and paves a new way for efficient and scale-up production of three-dimensional porous graphene materials from aromatic hydrocarbon sources for diverse practical usages, for example, high energy supercapacitors.