5. Derived carbon materials

Although known since prehistoric times, carbon is still associated with today's most advanced technologies. Indeed, it is the basis of materials whose extremely diverse properties make it a unique element: chemical and thermal resistance, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity or insulating properties, impermeability or permeability, porosity or non-porosity, sometimes extremely high specific surface areas, lightness, high mechanical strength or ductility. This non-exhaustive list of sometimes highly antagonistic properties reflects the immense variety of textures that the element carbon can generate. Each particular texture, established during the controlled pyrolysis of well-chosen precursors, corresponds to a given functionality, and modification of the texture leads to modification of the associated properties