Nanoporous carbide derived carbon with tunable pore size

A method of producing a nanoporous carbide-derived carbon composition having a mean nanopore diameter within the range of from about 0.05 nm to about 0.2 nm of a selected value comprising:

• (a) reacting a first quantity of a carbide composition comprising a ternary composition of silicon, titanium, and carbon with a halogen at a first temperature in the range of from about 200° C. to about 1400° C., to produce nanopores in a first quantity of carbide-derived carbon;
• (b) reacting a second quantity of the carbide composition with the halogen at a second temperature in the range of from about 200° C. to about 1400° C., said second temperature differing from said first temperature by about 100° C. or more, to produce nanopores in a second quantity of carbide-derived carbon, said carbide-derived carbon characterized as having a mean nanopore diameter that differs by an amount in the range of from about 0.05 nm to about 0.2 nm from the mean nanopore diameter of the first quantity;
• such that the mean nanopore diameter of the second quantity of carbide-derived carbon is reproducibly produced-within the range of from about 0.05 nm to about 0.2 nm of the selected value.