Direct synthesis of ordered mesoporous hydrothermal carbon materials via a modified soft-templating method

• Published in: Microporous and mesoporous materials Vol. 253; pp. 215 - 222
• Main Authors: Xiao, Pei-Wen, Zhao, Li, Sui, Zhu-Yin, Xu, Meng-Ying, Han, Bao-Hang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 15.11.2017
• Subjects: Biomass; Gas adsorption; Hydrothermal carbonization; Ordered mesoporous carbon; Soft-templating; Biomass; Soft-templating; Hydrothermal carbonization; Ordered mesoporous carbon; Gas adsorption
• ISSN: 1387-1811; 1873-3093
• DOI: 10.1016/j.micromeso.2017.07.001

We developed a facile and universal method for synthesizing ordered mesoporous hydrothermal carbon materials from saccharides through a modified soft-templating approach. In a typical process, the micelles formed during the dissolving process of triblock copolymer and acted as soft template. Then, in order to avoid the destruction of the micelles during the following hydrothermal carbonization process, the micelles were covered and stabilized by silica layer, which is formed by hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate and subsequent condensation reaction of the formed orthosilicic acid. During the hydrothermal carbonization process, the saccharides-derived hydrothermal carbon will form on the surface of silica layer. After removal of the modified soft template, ordered hydrothermal carbon materials were obtained. The ordered structure was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray diffraction technique. The Brunauer‒Emmett‒Teller specific surface area values of the as-prepared ordered hydrothermal carbon materials range from 330 to 620 m2 g−1. It is worth to mention that it is a universal method for transforming different saccharides, such as glucose, D-fructose, D-maltose, sucrose, and β-cyclodextrin, into ordered mesoporous hydrothermal carbon materials. [Display omitted] •A modified soft-templating method was developed for synthesizing ordered mesoporous hydrothermal carbon material.•This modified soft-templating method is proved to be facile and universal.•Ordered mesoporous hydrothermal carbon materials were synthesized using different kinds of biomass-derived saccharides as carbon precursors.