Book excerpt: Carbon materials are exceptionally diverse in their preparation, structure, texture, and applications. In Advanced Materials Science and Engineering of Carbon, noted carbon scientist Michio Inagaki and his coauthors cover the most recent advances in carbon materials, including new techniques and processes, carbon materials synthesis, and up-to-date descriptions of current carbon-based materials, trends and applications. Beginning with the synthesis and preparation of nanocarbons, carbon nanotubes, and graphenes, the book then reviews recently developed carbonization techniques, such as templating, electrospinning, foaming, stress graphitization, and the formation of glass-like carbon. The last third of the book is devoted to applications, featuring coverage of carbon materials for energy storage, electrochemical capacitors, lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, and adsorptive storage of hydrogen and methane for environmental protection, photocatalysis, spilled oil recovery, and nuclear applications of isotropic high-density graphite.