The catalytic activation of small molecules/ions such as N₂, CO₂ or nitrate on the surface of porous electrocatalysts at their interface with electrolytes belongs to the most fundamental phenomena on the way to a more sustainable and decentralized production of commodity chemicals such as ammonia or methanol. Nanoporous carbon materials play an ever increasing role in this regards because adsorption phenomena on the carbon surface are crucial for the working principles of the respective devices. It is well known that the adsorption properties of such materials are a function of their pore architecture. Pore size, pore geometry, pore connectivity, and pore hierarchy determine important factors like mass transport and the strength of interaction with different guest species. Another (and possibly even more powerful) “regulation screw” to control the adsorption properties of nanoporous carbon materials is their atomic construction. The controlled integration of heteroatoms (most often nonmetallic group III or group V and VI elements with nitrogen being the most widely studied heteroatom) into porous sp²-based carbon networks can significantly change their physicochemical properties [1]. This includes but is not limited to their acidity/basicity, oxidation resistance, electric conductivity, and surface polarity. In order to make use of these effects it is important that the heteroatoms are significant in number, that they are uniformly distributed over the bulk of the material, and that the local atomic construction motives are as defined as possible. The synthesis of nitrogen-rich carbon materials by controlled condensation of well-defined nitrogen-rich molecular precursors is a particularly elegant way to synthesize porous carbon materials with large concentrations and precisely incorporated heteroatoms [2].

My presentation will give an overview of current attempts to develop synthetic methods for the precise tailoring of the chemical architecture and pore structure of functional nanoporous carbon materials [2],[3]. Special focus will be on the fabrication of all-carbon hybrid materials which combine a rather heteroatom-rich carbon phase and a pristine porous carbon on the nanoscale to combine, for instance, a demanded chemical property with high electrical conductivity. The structure-property-relationships of these materials in the electrochemical conversion of N₂ and nitrate will also be presented [3],[4]. In addition, attempts to modify the adsorption properties of the carbon pores by immobilization of ionic liquids will be presented.