Copolymer-Templated Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Mesoporous Carbons for Enhanced Adsorption of Hexavalent Chromium and Uranium

Abstract

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) homopolymer and polyacrylonitrile-block-poly(n-butyl acrylate) (PAN-b-PBA) block copolymer were synthesized via supplemental activator reducing agent atom transfer radical polymerization and used as precursors to nitrogen-doped nanocarbons. Carbonization was performed at two different temperatures (500 and 800 °C) to fabricate nanocarbons with different structural properties and nitrogen contents. Copolymer-templated nitrogen-doped carbons (CTNCs) had larger surface area and higher mesoporosity than PAN homopolymer-templated nanocarbons (PANCs), due to the presence of PBA block acting as a sacrificial porogen. Adsorption performances of PANCs and CTNCs for Cr(VI) and U(VI) species were systematically studied. Due to the well-defined structure and larger surface area, CTNCs showed stronger adsorption ability than PANCs. The nitrogen atoms incorporated into the carbon framework led to higher electrostatic attraction for Cr(VI) anions at low pH and complexation with U(VI) cations at h...