scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
Journal ArticleDOI

Novel synthesis of porous carbons with tunable pore size by surfactant-templated sol-gel process and carbonisation.

04 Nov 2002-Chemical Communications (The Royal Society of Chemistry)-Iss: 22, pp 2722-2723
TL;DR: Surfactant-templated sol-gel polymerisation was explored to synthesize the resorcinol-formaldehyde gels without supercritical drying step, which were further carbonised to obtain porous carbons of a tunable pore size.
About: This article is published in Chemical Communications.The article was published on 2002-11-04 and is currently open access. It has received 77 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Supercritical drying.

Summary (1 min read)

T h i s j o u r n a l i s © T h e R o y a l S o c i e t y o f

  • The pore size is primarily determined by the size of gel clusters, which is in turn controlled by the monomer/surfactant concentration.
  • It is thus very likely that, in acidic conditions, the cross-linking between gel clusters becomes more facilitated to produce a more rigid gel network, and the pore collapse or shrinking at both the drying step and subsequent carbonisation step is suppressed.
  • To test this possibility, the sol-gel polymerisation was performed at different pH by varying the R/F ratio in this work (samples C5-C7).
  • When the pore properties are compared for samples C5-C7, there appears a strong correlation between the porosity and pH of the sol-gel medium even if the carbon cluster size is comparable for the three because the monomer/surfactant concentration is the same.
  • Fig. 3(b) shows the pore size distribution of samples C3-C7 as calculated by the Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) method from the desorption branch of the isotherm.

Did you find this useful? Give us your feedback

Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Organic porous materials—a class of advanced materials— possess enormous potential for many high-tech applications, such as bioreactors, dielectrics, sensors, microelectrophoresis, thermal insulation, and catalysts, but large porosity has rarely been reported.
Abstract: Organic porous materials—a class of advanced materials— possess enormous potential for many high-tech applications, such as bioreactors, dielectrics, sensors, microelectrophoresis, thermal insulation, and catalysts. In general, they can be prepared by phase separation, and a hard templating approach, such as those employing colloidal particles. Phase separation can be derived from organic– organic phases, while the pore structures can be formed after etching, or by dissolving one block (A) from the assembled block copolymer (A–B). However, most of the resulting porous polymer structures are disordered with wide pore size distributions because of the contraction and swelling from changes in volume, as well as the structured defects formed during template removal. Large porosities have rarely been reported. Furthermore, the resistance of the pore structure to heat and solvents is rather low because the materials are formed by weak van der Waals forces and physical twists between polymer chains, which means that the framework is not connected by covalent bonds. Recently, a procedure for cross-linking lyotropic liquid crystals (LLC) in water was introduced to prepare periodic porous organic mesostructures. Unfortunately, polymerization only occurs between nearest neighboring head groups, and the mesostructured channels are fully occupied with solution. Therefore, it is not surprising that porosity has yet to be reported. Carbon materials, including nanotubes and fullerenes, have attracted considerable attention because of their remarkable properties. The traditional carbonization process for active carbon and related materials can only generate

1,272 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the synthesis of mesoporous polymers and carbon frameworks from organic−organic assembly of triblock copolymers with soluble, low-molecular-weight phenolic resin precursors (resols) by an evaporation induced self-assembly strategy has been reported.
Abstract: The syntheses of a family of highly ordered mesoporous polymers and carbon frameworks from organic−organic assembly of triblock copolymers with soluble, low-molecular-weight phenolic resin precursors (resols) by an evaporation induced self-assembly strategy have been reported in detail. The family members include two-dimensional hexagonal (space group, p6m), three-dimensional bicontinuous (Ia3d), body-centered cubic (Im3m), and lamellar mesostructures, which are controlled by simply adjusting the ratio of phenol/template or poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(propylene oxide) in the templates. A five-step mechanism from organic−organic assembly has been demonstrated. Cubic FDU-14 with a gyroidal mesostructure of polymer resin or carbon has been synthesized for the first time by using the copolymer Pluronic P123 as a template in a relatively narrow range. Upon calcination at 350 °C, the templates should be removed to obtain mesoporous polymers, and further heating at above a critical temperature of 600 °C transfor...

1,013 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the state-of-the-art of adsorption characterization of mesoporous and microporous materials by using the density functional theory (DFT) methods.

903 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a review examines methods of functionalizing porous carbon through direct incorporation of heteroatoms in the carbon synthesis, surface oxidation and activation, halogenation, sulfonation, grafting, attachment of nanoparticles and surface coating with polymers.
Abstract: Recent progress in syntheses of porous carbons with designed pore architecture has rejuvenated the field of carbon chemistry and promises to provide new advanced materials. In order to reap the full benefit of designer carbons, it is necessary to develop chemistries for functionalizing the porous carbon surfaces. This Review examines methods of functionalizing porous carbon through direct incorporation of heteroatoms in the carbon synthesis, surface oxidation and activation, halogenation, sulfonation, grafting, attachment of nanoparticles and surface coating with polymers. Methods of characterizing the functionalized carbon materials and applications that benefit from functionalized nanoporous carbons with designed architecture are also highlighted.

781 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the synthesis of carbon aerogels with hierarchical porosities for energy applications, including carbon nanotube and graphene composite carbon aeroglobels, as well as their functionalization by surface engineering are discussed.
Abstract: Carbon aerogels are a unique class of high-surface-area materials derived by sol–gel chemistry. Their high mass-specific surface area and electrical conductivity, environmental compatibility and chemical inertness make them very promising materials for many energy related applications, specifically in view of recent developments in controlling their morphology. In this perspective we will review the synthesis of monolithic resorcinol–formaldehyde based carbon aerogels with hierarchical porosities for energy applications, including carbon nanotube and graphene composite carbon aerogels, as well as their functionalization by surface engineering. Applications that we will discuss include hydrogen and electrical energy storage, desalination and catalysis.

576 citations

References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the polycondensation of resorcinol with formaldehyde under alkaline conditions results in the formation of surface functionalized polymer "clusters" which are processed under supercritical conditions to obtain low density, organic aerogels.
Abstract: The polycondensation of resorcinol with formaldehyde under alkaline conditions results in the formation of surface functionalized polymer “clusters”. The covalent crosslinking of these “clusters” produces gels which are processed under supercritical conditions to obtain low density, organic aerogels ( ⩽ 0.1 g cm−3). The aerogels are transparent, dark red in colour, and consist of interconnected colloidal-like particles with diameters of approximately 10 nm. The polymerization mechanism, structure and properties of the resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogels are similar to the sol-gel processing of silica.

1,603 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Ordered mesoporous carbons have been synthesized using ordered mesopore silica templates as discussed by the authors, where the template needs to exhibit three-dimensional pore structure in order to be suitable for the ordered mesophorous carbon synthesis, otherwise disordered microporous carbon is formed.
Abstract: Ordered mesoporous carbons have recently been synthesized using ordered mesoporous silica templates. The synthesis procedure involves infiltration of the pores of the template with appropriate carbon precursor, its carbonization, and subsequent template removal. The template needs to exhibit three-dimensional pore structure in order to be suitable for the ordered mesoporous carbon synthesis, otherwise disordered microporous carbon is formed. MCM-48, SBA-1, and SBA-15 silicas were successfully used to synthesize carbons with cubic or hexagonal frameworks, narrow mesopore size distributions, high nitrogen Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface areas (up to 1800 m2 g–1), and large pore volumes. Ordered mesoporous carbons are promising in many applications, including adsorption of large molecules, chromatography, and manufacturing of electrochemical double-layer capacitors.

1,467 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reviewed the mechanisms of gel formation in silicate systems derived from metal alkoxides and proposed that the resulting polysilicate species formed prior to gelation is not a dense colloidal particle of anhydrous silica but instead a solvated polymeric chain or cluster.
Abstract: The mechanisms of gel formation in silicate systems derived from metal alkoxides were reviewed. There is compelling experimental evidence proving, that under many conditions employed in silica gel preparation, the resulting polysilicate species formed prior to gelation is not a dense colloidal particle of anhydrous silica but instead a solvated polymeric chain or cluster. The skeletal gel phase which results during desiccation is, therefore, expected to be less highly crosslinked than the corresponding melted glass, and perhaps to contain additional excess free volume. It is proposed that, during gel densification, the desiccated gel will change to become more highly crosslinked while reducing its surface area and free volume. Thus, it is necessary to consider both the macroscopic physical structure and the local chemical structure of gels in order to explain the gel to glass conversion.

511 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1997-Carbon
TL;DR: In this article, mesoporous carbon xerogels were prepared from the sol-gel polymerization of resorcinol with formaldehyde (RF) followed by carbonization.

346 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1999-Carbon
TL;DR: In this paper, a solgel polycondensation of resorcinol with formaldehyde and freeze drying with t -butanol was used to obtain mesoporous materials with high surface areas and large mesopore volumes.

278 citations

Frequently Asked Questions (1)
Q1. What have the authors contributed in "Novel synthesis of porous carbons with tunable pore size by surfactant-templated sol–gel process and carbonisation" ?

Here, the authors report another low-cost preparation method for RF xerogels, where a normal drying is still applicable because the pore collapse can be minimized during the water evaporation. The microto nanosized spherical gel clusters are formed within the micelles, which are further three-dimensionally connected via a crosslinking reaction. The resulting RF gels are dried at 85 °C and further heat-treated at 1000 °C for 3 h under argon atmosphere to obtain porous carbons in monolithic shape.