Nitric acid oxidation on carbon dispersion and suspension stability

• Published in: Surface and interface analysis Vol. 40; no. 8; pp. 1190 - 1194
• Main Authors: Zhang, Ning, Wang, Liu-yan, Liu, Hao, Cai, Qing-Kui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.08.2008; Wiley
• Subjects: activated carbon; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Disordered solids; Exact sciences and technology; functional group; Infrared and Raman spectra; Infrared and raman spectra and scattering; Materials science; nitric acid oxidation; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Oxidation; Physics; Powders, porous materials; Structure of solids and liquids; crystallography; surface modification; Surface treatments; Scanning electron microscopy; Particle size; Powders; surface modification; Surface treatments; Infrared spectra; Carbon; nitric acid oxidation; Nitric acid; Activated carbon; Fourier transform spectra; Oxidation; functional group; Suspensions
• ISSN: 0142-2421; 1096-9918
• DOI: 10.1002/sia.2864

In this study, we have investigated the effect of nitric acid oxidation on the dispersion and suspension stability of activated carbon powder. We treated activated carbon powder with nitric acid at different concentrations. We measured the content of functional groups, the zeta potential and the powder particle size of the activated carbon powder with the Boehm titration, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, a zeta potential analyzer, and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that with the increase of nitric acid molar concentration, the content of acid functional groups increased, whereas the content of alkali functional groups decreased. At a nitric acid concentration of 10 mol/l, the surface‐modified activated carbon powder displays features such as the highest functional group content and zeta potential value, the smallest particle size, and the best dispersion and suspension stability in the solution. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.