Preparation of carbon molecular sieves by propylene pyrolysis over microporous carbons

Abstract

Modification of the pore structure of microporous carbons by depositing carbon from pyrolysis of C 3H 6 between 973–1123 K was investigated in regard to development of molecular sieving properties for separation of O 2 and Ar. Excellent adsorption kinetics and selectivity for separation of O 2 and Ar were achieved by depositing carbon on a substrate carbon that contains pores of a narrow size distribution. Activated carbons showed no useful development of molecular sieving characteristics after carbon deposition. This is attributed, primarily, to their containing too wide a size distribution of micropores.