Facile synthesis of γ-Fe2O3@porous carbon materials using an Fe-based metal–organic framework: structure and porosity study

Abstract

Metal oxide nanoparticle embedded porous carbon composite materials have various uses, including as catalyst supports and adsorbents, because of their good stability and unique porosity. Despite their importance, the synthetic strategies of metal-oxide nanoparticle-embedded porous carbon composites to control their properties have not been widely studied. Here, we present a facile synthesis method for γ-Fe2O3-embedded porous carbon materials via the pyrolysis of Fe-based metal–organic framework (MOF, MIL-100). We found that simple treatment to the starting material (MIL-100) allows control γ-Fe2O3 particle size, chemical composition, porosity, and H2 sorption property of the resulting composite materials. This work presents a synthesis of a series of porous carbon composites from a single MOF by treating further carbon source. This synthetic strategy may provide a clue for synthesis of a variety of composite materials using MOFs for battery electrode and catalyst applications.