Three-dimensionally macroporous, Si and N-incorporated graphene aerogels for gas adsorbents

• Published in: Materials express Vol. 5; no. 5; pp. 463 - 469
• Main Authors: Yun, Sol, Kim, Hyungdae, Lee, Hyunjoo, Park, Ho Seok
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Scientific Publishers 01.10.2015
• Subjects: Adsorption; Aerogel; Gas Capture; Porous Carbon; Surface Modification
• ISSN: 2158-5849; 2158-5857
• DOI: 10.1166/mex.2015.1261

Three-dimensionally macroporous, Si and N-incorporated graphene aerogels (3D SN-rGOAs) are successfully fabricated through a self-assembly, vapor deposition of (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES), and thermal treatment for gas adsorption applications. As investigated by spectroscopic methods, the interaction between oxygen-containing groups of GO and APTES results in the uniform incorporation of Si and N atoms on the surface of 3D SN-rGOAs. The resulting SN-rGOAs are composed of the 3D interconnected macroporous structures with the mesoporosity by means of the reorganization of rGO sheets. The existence and distribution of Si and N atoms are characterized and their atomic compositions are 6.19 and 4.24%, respectively. Even after the incorporation of Si and N atoms, the surface area and pore volume of SN-rGOAs are slightly larger than those of pristine rGOAs due to thermal treatment at 900 °C, which also promotes the further restoration of sp2 conjugation. The as-obtained SN-rGOAs show a dramatic improvement in the adsorption capacities and kinetics of CO2 and SO2 because of the existences of Si and N atoms and 3D macroporous continuity.