Synthesis and Gas Adsorption Properties of Carbide-Derived Carbons from Titanium Tin Carbide

Abstract

Here we reported the synthesis of nanoporous carbide-derived carbons (CDCs) from a new precursor, titanium tin carbides (Ti2SnC), via chlorination at 400–1100[Formula: see text]C. At low chlorination temperature (400–500[Formula: see text]C), as-synthesized CDCs mainly consisted of amorphous carbon and chlorides. As the chlorination temperature increased up to 600[Formula: see text]C, chlorides disappeared, and the main composition of CDCs was amorphous carbon. At high chlorination temperature, there was a trend of graphitization. The microstructure of CDCs was observed and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Some graphite-like sheet structures in CDCs were found. Specific surface area (SSA) and pore volume of CDCs increased with chlorination temperature, except an abnormal decrease of the CDC chlorinated at 900[Formula: see text]C. CDC chlorinated at 1100[Formula: see text]C had the largest SSA, 1580[Formula: see text]m2/g. In order to apply these materials as novel hydrogen/methane storage media in the area of energy efficient transport, gas adsorption properties of CDCs were measured. For CDC chlorinated at 1100[Formula: see text]C, pore volume uptakes are [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]cm3/g at 60 bar (25[Formula: see text]C) for methane, and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]cm3/g at 35 bar ([Formula: see text]C) for hydrogen, respectively. It was suggested that CDCs from Ti2SnC are promising materials for hydrogen/methane adsorptive storage.