Direct synthesis of unimodal and bimodal nanoporous carbon

• Published in: Microporous and mesoporous materials Vol. 74; no. 1; pp. 73 - 78
• Main Authors: Pang, Jiebin, Hu, Qingyuan, Wu, Zhiwang, Eric Hampsey, J., He, Jibao, Lu, Yunfeng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 20.09.2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: Bimodal; Chemistry; Colloidal state and disperse state; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Hierarchical; Nanoporous carbon; Porous materials; Templating synthesis; Unimodal; Hierarchical; Bimodal; Nanoporous carbon; Templating synthesis; Unimodal; Scanning electron microscopy; Adsorption isotherm; Nitrogen; Carbon; Porous material; Silica; Transmission electron microscopy; Synthesis; Nanocomposite
• ISSN: 1387-1811; 1873-3093
• DOI: 10.1016/j.micromeso.2004.06.009

Unimodal and bimodal nanoporous (mesoporous) carbons have been synthesized by simply removing silica from carbon/silica nanocomposites. The sucrose/silica nanocomposites are directly prepared by the sol–gel process of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) with or without colloidal silica particles in the presence of carbon precursor molecules (i.e., sucrose). Subsequent carbonization converts the sucrose/silica nanocomposites into nonporous carbon/silica composites. Removal of the silica templates results in nanoporous carbons with high surface areas (e.g., >1500 m 2/g) and pore volumes (e.g., >1.0 cm 3/g). Using TEOS as the only silica source, nanoporous carbons with unimodal ∼2 nm worm-like pores are produced. Nanoporous carbons with bimodal ∼2 and ∼27 nm diameter pores have been prepared by using both the TEOS-derived silica network and the colloidal silica particles as templates.