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Tuning of pore texture of carbon xerogels synthesized using resorcinol and paraformaldehyde as precursors
Author : Ajit Das, Kamala Mandy Hansda and Nagendranath Mahata*
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ABSTRACT
Mesoporous carbon xerogels were synthesised using paraformaldehyde and resorcinol as precursors. Organic gel was obtained by sol-gel processing of the precursors. The wet gel was dried and then carbonized under nitrogen flow to obtain carbon xerogel. A series of carbon xerogels was synthesised by varying pH of sol-gel processing in the range of 5.5 to 6.3. One carbon xerogel was activated by nitric acid and subsequently heated at elevated temperatures (200 to 300ºC) under vacuum to obtain another series of carbon xerogels. All the carbon xerogels were characterised by nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm measurement. The carbon xerogels were found to be significantly mesoporous. Pore texture was found to be tuned by the precursor sol-gel processing pH as well as by the post synthesis treatment by means of nitric acid activation-evacuation at elevated temperature.
KEYWORD
Carbon xerogel, texture tuning, mesoporous, sol-gel, catalyst support