Chemically modified sugars enable direct nanostructure formation

Chemically modified sugars enable direct nanostructure formation Swati Mestri Scientific Editor Robert Egan Senior Editor Researchers at AIST have demonstrated the synthesis of nanoporous carbonaceous materials and carbonaceous materials with layered nanostructures through a simple process involving the chemical modification of common sugars such as sucrose and fructose. Nanoporous carbonaceous materials have attracted attention as materials that can help address energy-related challenges, with potential applications as catalyst supports and electrode materials for secondary batteries. In particular, carbonaceous materials with highly uniform pore sizes and shapes, which can be tailored for specific applications, are in increasing demand. The conventional templating method, however, has several drawbacks, including the need for sacrificial template agents and complex synthesis procedures that consume resources and generate waste. Furthermore, some templating procedures rely on energy-intensive and harsh chemical processes involving high temperatures and strong acids. Modified sugars replace sacrificial templates A research group at AIST has developed a new method that enables the synthesis of nanostructured carbonaceous materials solely from chemically modified sugar molecules. The method uses sugar molecules modified to bear an alkyl chain as carbon precursors. These precursors are subjected to hydrothermal treatment, during which condensation reactions take place. This approach provides access to nanostructured carbonaceous materials without relying on conventional templates or harsh chemical processing. Furthermore, the nanostructure of the resulting carbonaceous material can be altered by varying the type of sugar headgroup, yielding either a nanoporous carbonaceous material with spherical nanopores or a carbonaceous material with a layered nanoscale structure. Expanding the range of pore architectures This work represents a shift from the current "physical" pore formation pathway based on the templating method to a "chemical" pore formation pathway. The researchers expect that the method will serve as a synthesis platform for designing novel nanoporous carbonaceous materials with nanostructural features that are inaccessible through conventional templating methods. Using such materials as scaffolds for various chemical reactions may improve material performance in applications such as electrodes and catalyst supports. Details of this research were published online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on Aug. 12, 2026. Uniform pores offer selective performance Nanoporous carbonaceous materials have numerous nanoscale pores and a large specific surface area and have been widely recognized for their ability to store electricity, adsorb substances and promote chemical reactions. For example, in application studies involving energy storage and fuel cells, nanoporous carbonaceous materials provide a platform for charge storage processes as well as various chemical reactions. Activated carbon, a widely known porous carbonaceous material, is used for water purification and deodorization due to its high porosity, which allows it to capture molecules of various sizes. However, its pore size and shape are normally not uniform. In contrast, porous carbonaceous materials with pores that are uniform in size and shape can also capture molecules of specific sizes, offering advantages for applications such as energy storage, gas separation and catalysis. This capability has accelerated demand for nanoporous carbonaceous materials that have uniform pore structures and are suitable for these applications. The constraints of template-based synthesis The templating method has been extensively used to produce carbonaceous materials with controlled nanoscale pores. In a general templating procedure, either polymeric agents or preformed inorganic materials are used as sacrificial templates. Mixing a carbon source with the template, followed by carbonization and template removal, yields porous carbonaceous materials. Despite being a well-established strategy for fabricating porous carbonaceous materials with uniform pores, the templating method has limitations in controlling nanopore architecture. These limitations mainly stem from the method's dependence on the variety and availability of templates, which are essentially limited to certain archetypes. Additionally, in this method, the carefully prepared templates are sacrificed during the process, while the template-removal step further relies on harsh chemical treatments requiring strong acids or high temperatures of several hundred degrees Celsius. To produce nanoporous carbonaceous materials with tailored pore architectures, researchers have therefore sought synthetic strategies that offer flexible control over pore structures while maintaining synthetic simplicity and mild reaction conditions. Publication details Shiori Kubo et al., Chemically Modified Sugars as Multifunctional Precursors for Direct, Template-Free Synthesis of Nanoporous Carbonaceous Materials, Journal of the American Chemical Society (2026). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c16771 Journal information: Journal of the American Chemical Society