Synthesis of mesoporous carbon particles with different pore sizes by soft template method

Abstract

The Stöber method provides a facile procedure for making carbon spheres with controlled particle sizes and is considered to be low-cost. In this study, a facile method has been established for synthesizing porous carbon spheres with variable pore sizes using a modified Stöber process. The influence of acid treatment and manipulating the carbonization process heating rate on the pore size and morphology of the particles was investigated by nitrogen adsorption, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). According to the results, carbon spheres were in the size range between 1 and 7 microns. Pore size characterization shows that the pore diameter has increased by increasing the heating rate as well as by performing acid treatment. Tunable pore sizes from 2.25 to 8 nm have been evidenced by the experiments. These synthesized mesoporous carbons with different pore sizes which facilitate penetration of molecules and ions are promising as effective materials for adsorption, encapsulation and material delivery applications.