How do the micropores of carbon xerogels influence their electrochemical behavior as anodes for lithium-ion batteries?

This work aims at shedding light on how the microporous texture of porous carbons influences their electrochemical behavior when used as anodes for Li-ion batteries. To this aim, a synthetic hard carbon (carbon xerogel, CX), prepared from a resorcinol-formaldehyde precursor gel, underwent several post-synthesis treatments in order to modulate its micropore to total pore volume ratio. The micropore volume was either expanded by physical activation or decreased using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of a carbon layer.