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Porous Carbon: Synthesis, Modification and Applications

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A special issue of C (ISSN 2311-5629). This special issue belongs to the section "Carbon Materials and Carbon Allotropes".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2020) | Viewed by 23493

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Olaf Klepel

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Institute of Materials Chemistry, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg, Universitätsplatz 1, D-01968 Senftenberg, Germany
Interests: development of a carbon library, i.e. preparation of carbons with systematic variation of the parameters graphitization, porosity and chemical composition, respectively; preparation of carbon monoliths with defined geometrical shape; characterization of textural and surface-chemical properties of materials with respect to their use in catalysis, electrochemistry, enzyme immobilization and adsorption, respectively

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Porous carbon materials have been widely used as adsorbents, as catalysts or as electrode materials. At present, further areas of application such as the use as storage medium for hydrogen or the use in electrochemical applications for energy conversion and energy storage are gaining increasing importance. Despite the wide variety of applications, the requirements for the porous carbons can mainly be reduced to a few features such as the pore size distribution, the carbon nanostructure and the presence of foreign atoms, respectively. Unfortunately, it is very complicated to adjust these features independently of each other within one particular material. In this special issue, contributions dealing with novel synthesis methods to overcome these difficulties are welcome. This includes the development of new preparation routes as well as the innovative combination of well established methods with each other.

Prof. Dr. Olaf Klepel
Guest Editor

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Keywords

defined synthesis of porous carbons
characterization of porous carbons
adjustment of the pore size distribution
template-assisted synthesis of porous carbons
controlled activation of carbons
formation of carbon nanostructures
carbon doping with foreign atoms

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 2596 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Porous Carbon Monoliths Made from Cellulose and Starch

by Olaf Klepel and Nina Danneberg

C 2020, 6(2), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/c6020032 - 19 May 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2328

Abstract

Porous carbon monoliths can be used as key components in a variety of applications, such as energy storage, adsorption and catalysis. The preparation of porous carbon monoliths suffers from several limitations, e.g., time-consuming synthesis steps, the use of hazardous chemicals, limited porosity or mechanical stability. This paper describes the investigation of a simple synthesis route to produce porous carbon monoliths from sustainable carbon precursors. Mixtures from different kinds of cellulose and starch, respectively, have been used as the carbon precursor. Fundamental features of porous monoliths, i.e., the porosity and the mechanic stability, respectively, have been investigated in dependence on the composition of the precursor mixtures. First attempts to explain the observed behavior have already been made. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Carbon: Synthesis, Modification and Applications)

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10 pages, 2290 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Removal of F⁻ from Water Using Templated Mesoporous Carbon Modified with Hydrated Zirconium Oxide

by Tomoya Takada

C 2020, 6(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/c6010013 - 9 Mar 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2477

Abstract

Three types of MgO-templated mesoporous carbon possessing different specific surface area and pore size distribution were modified with hydrated zirconium oxide (ZrO₂·xH₂O) to prepare fluoride anion (F⁻) adsorbents. ZrO₂·xH₂O was synthesized through the auto-hydrolysis of zirconium oxychloride (ZrOCl₂) in water under the coexistence of mesoporous carbon. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that the mesoporous carbon surfaces were coated with mainly amorphous ZrO₂·xH₂O. Capabilities of aqueous F⁻ removal of the prepared adsorbents and the unmodified mesoporous carbons were compared. The F⁻ uptake by the prepared adsorbents was larger than that observed using unmodified carbons, indicating that the F⁻ adsorption capacity was improved through the ZrO₂·xH₂O coating. Moreover, the adsorption capability was found to depend on the pore size of the mesoporous carbons. The F⁻ uptake decreased as pH of F⁻ solution increased. Protonation and deprotonation of ZrO₂ were found to affect the F⁻ adsorption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Carbon: Synthesis, Modification and Applications)

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12 pages, 3387 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Mesoporous Carbon as Potential Conductive Additive for a Li-Ion Battery Cathode

by Victor Vélez, Betty López, Ruben Palacio and Ligia Sierra

C 2019, 5(4), 81; https://doi.org/10.3390/c5040081 - 3 Dec 2019

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2822

Abstract

A new mesoporous carbon (MC) is obtained from pyrolysis of resorcinol/formaldehyde resin, polymerized in the presence of tetraethoxysilane and Pluronic F108, followed by pyrolysis at 800 °C and silica removal. The reaction mixture in a molar ratio of 1F108/60resorcinol/292 formaldehyde/16900 H₂O/50 tetraethoxysilane heated at 67 °C produces MC nanoparticles (200 nm average size) exhibiting 3D bimodal mesopores (3.9 and 8.2 nm), 1198 m²/g surface area, 1.8 cm³/g pore volume, and important graphitic character for use as a conductive material. Composites LiFePO₄/carbon prepared with MC or commercial Super P, by the slurry method, were tested as coin Li-ion battery (LiB) cathodes. Super P (40 nm average particle size) exhibits better graphitic character, but lower porosity than MC. LiFePO₄/MC shows better specific capacity (161 mAhg⁻¹) than LiFePO₄/Super P (126 mAhg⁻¹), with a retention capacity (RC) after cycling at C/10 of 81%. Both composites with MC and Super P show well-distributed particles. According to impedance analysis, MC mesoporosity improves the charge transfer kinetics (CTK) more than Super P, producing a cathode with higher efficiency, although lithium ions’ diffusion decreases because larger MC particles form longer diffusion paths. Owing to the good specific capacity of the LiB cathode prepared with MC, research looking into improving its retention capacity should be a focus. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Carbon: Synthesis, Modification and Applications)

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Review

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25 pages, 5166 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Review on Activated Carbons by Chemical Activation with FeCl₃

by Jorge Bedia, Manuel Peñas-Garzón, Almudena Gómez-Avilés, Juan J. Rodriguez and Carolina Belver

C 2020, 6(2), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/c6020021 - 10 Apr 2020

Cited by 93 | Viewed by 14985

Abstract

This study reviews the most relevant results on the synthesis, characterization, and applications of activated carbons obtained by novel chemical activation with FeCl₃. The text includes a description of the activation mechanism, which compromises three different stages: (1) intense de-polymerization of the carbon precursor (up to 300 °C), (2) devolatilization and formation of the inner porosity (between 300 and 700 °C), and (3) dehydrogenation of the fixed carbon structure (>700 °C). Among the different synthesis conditions, the activation temperature, and, to a lesser extent, the impregnation ratio (i.e., mass ratio of FeCl₃ to carbon precursor), are the most relevant parameters controlling the final properties of the resulting activated carbons. The characteristics of the carbons in terms of porosity, surface chemistry, and magnetic properties are analyzed in detail. These carbons showed a well-developed porous texture mainly in the micropore size range, an acidic surface with an abundance of oxygen surface groups, and a superparamagnetic character due to the presence of well-distributed iron species. These properties convert these carbons into promising candidates for different applications. They are widely analyzed as adsorbents in aqueous phase applications due to their porosity, surface acidity, and ease of separation. The presence of stable and well-distributed iron species on the carbons’ surface makes them promising catalysts for different applications. Finally, the presence of iron compounds has been shown to improve the graphitization degree and conductivity of the carbons; these are consequently being analyzed in energy storage applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Carbon: Synthesis, Modification and Applications)

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