Multimodal Pore Size Distribution Research Articles

Activated coke preparation by physical activation of coal and biomass co-carbonized chars

Activated cokes have been prepared with a two-step process: co-carbonization of bituminous coal and poplar bark biomass in nitrogen at moderate temperatures, followed by physical activation of the char residues with CO2 and steam at higher temperatures. The microstructures, pore distributions and surface chemical characteristics of the generated chars were examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), N2 adsorption, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). This study assessed the effects of the mixing ratio of bituminous and biomass feedstocks, the carbonization temperature, as well as the type and mole fraction of activation agents on the pore structure of the produced activated cokes. It was found that char obtained by co-carbonization of coal and biomass at a ratio of 2:1, at 600 °C for 30 min, had the highest micropore surface area at 200 m2/g. Subsequent activation of this char, at 800 °C for 90 min, with 40 % CO2 and 10 % steam resulted in a threefold increase of micropore surface area (607 m2/g). Steam enhanced pore broadening and, thus, it promoted the formation of mesoporous structure, while CO2 promoted additional development of microporous structure. As a result, activated coke with extensive and multimodal pore size distribution was produced.

A simple approach for predicting soil water characteristic curve of clayey soils using pore size distribution data

The soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) of soils can be derived from the measured pore size distribution (PSD) data by applying capillary models. This method is limited for clayey soils due to the PSD changes during SWCC testing. In this study, a suction-dependent multimodal PSD model based on probability theory is developed and used to derive SWCC. The model is validated by simulating the drying branches of SWCCs of four compacted Lias Clay samples with different initial states. A good consistency between the measured and predicted SWCC is shown.

Pore structure characterization and permeability estimation with a modified multimodal Thomeer pore size distribution function for carbonate reservoirs

Pore structure of carbonate reservoirs is complex and multimodal. In order to characterize the pore structure of complex carbonate, a modified multimodal Thomeer pore size distribution (PSD) function was developed, which was based on the multimodal Gaussian density function and three controlling parameters including peak position, peak height and full width at half maximum (FWHM). The Expectation-Maximization algorithm for Gaussian mixture model was utilized to obtain three controlling parameters for the calculation of Thomeer parameters, namely the extrapolated displacement pressure, the percent bulk volume occupied by mercury at infinite capillary pressure and the pore geometrical factor. Three permeability models were proposed based on the Thomeer parameters and compared with the previous models. The results show that PSD curve of 55% samples need more than two Gaussian density function, which illustrates the multimodal characteristic. Thomeer parameters relate to the controlling parameters of Gaussian density function. The peak position moved toward larger capillary pressure with the increase of extrapolated displacement pressure and pore geometrical factor. The peak height has positive correlation with the percent bulk volume occupied by mercury at infinite capillary pressure and negative correlation with pore geometrical factor respectively. FWHM has positive correlation with pore geometrical factor. The extrapolated displacement pressure derived from the first Gaussian density function has a high correlation with permeability, which demonstrates that permeability is mainly controlled by the maximum pore throat radius. We found that when the sample has the percentage occupied by the first porous system larger enough than 21.64%, its permeability is dominated by the first porous system with the maximum pore throat radius; otherwise, it would be influenced by the second porous system. The comparative study shows that permeability models that has considered the influence of second porous system could improve the accuracy of permeability estimation for the complicated carbonate samples.

Synthesis of macroporous ceramic with enhanced sound absorption capability in low and medium frequency

We propose a novel hybrid method to produce macroporous ceramic with excellent sound absorption coefficient at medium and low frequency noise and multimodal pore size distribution. Macroporous ceramics with pore sizes from 100 nm to 2000 μm and apparent porosity in the range 85%–90% were fabricated by twice-foaming method and two pore-forming agents. These ceramics display a sound absorption coefficients from 0.11 to 0.99 in the sound-wave frequency range of 200–2000 Hz with sufficient connectivity rate above 99%. This ceramic represents a highly expected industrialization of properties for noise control and reduction at corrosive environments and high temperatures.

Joint Interpretation of Electrical Resistivity andT2 NMR Measurements To Estimate Wettability and Water Saturation

SummaryThe wettability of rocks can be assessed from interpretation of borehole geophysical measurements, such as electrical resistivity and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). These wettability models often require additional inputs (e.g., water saturation, porosity, and pore-geometry- related parameters), which are difficult to obtain independently. Consequently, a multiphysics workflow that integrates resistivity and NMR measurements can reduce the number of input parameters, resulting in a more accurate and robust wettability assessment. The objectives of this paper are to introduce a new workflow for joint interpretation of resistivity and NMR measurements to simultaneously estimate wettability and water saturation, and to verify the reliability of wettability and water-saturation estimates by comparison with experimentally measured contact angles, Amott Indices, and gravimetrically assessed water saturation.This new workflow for assessing wettability and water saturation combines nonlinear resistivity- and NMR-based rock physics models. The inputs to the resistivity-based wettability model include the resistivity of the rock–fluid system and brine, porosity, and pore-geometry-related parameters. The NMR-based wettability model requires the transverse (T2) response of the rock–fluid system, saturating fluids, and water-wet water-saturated and hydrocarbon-wet hydrocarbon-saturated rocks. To verify the reliability of the new integrated workflow, we perform resistivity and NMR measurements on core samples from different rock types, covering a range of wettability and water-saturation levels. These measurements are inputs to the nonlinear models, which are simultaneously solved to estimate wettability and water saturation for each core sample. We verify the reliability of wettability estimates by comparison with the Amott Index (IA) and contact-angle measurements, and the water-saturation estimates by comparison with the gravimetric water-saturation estimates.We successfully verified the reliability of the new method for this joint interpretation of resistivity and NMR measurements to estimate wettability and water saturation of limestone and sandstone core samples. For water-saturation levels ranging from irreducible water saturation to residual oil saturation, we observed an average relative error of 11% between the gravimetrically assessed and the model-estimated water saturation. It is challenging to estimate water saturation in rocks with multimodal pore-size distribution uniquely from the interpretation of NMR measurements. One contribution of the introduced workflow is improving the accuracy of water-saturation estimates (in addition to wettability) in rocks with complex pore structure and wettability states. For the wettability ranging from hydrocarbon-wet to water-wet, we observed an average absolute difference of 0.15 between the experimentally measured IA and the model-estimated wettability. These model-estimated wettability values were also consistent with the contact-angle measurements. It should be noted that the new workflow relies on physically meaningful and measurable parameters, which minimizes calibration efforts. Furthermore, the multiphysics workflow eliminates the nonuniqueness associated with wettability and water-saturation estimates obtained from independent interpretation of NMR and resistivity measurements.

The role of ink-bottle pores in freeze-thaw damage of oolithic limestone

Many natural building stones are altered when subjected to freeze-thaw (FT) cycles. On the one hand, the sensitivity of a material to FT damage has been quantified in the past by the existence of a material-specific critical water saturation. On the other hand, it was noticed that natural stones with a high volume of ink-bottle pores, normally hold a relatively large FT resistance. The relationship between the pore structure, the saturation and the FT resistance is however not well understood. In this paper, the influence of water content and the porosity on FT behaviour is investigated macroscopically with temperature and strain measurements, established techniques in FT related research, and X-ray computed micro-tomography (µCT). Strain measurements performed on Savonnières limestone samples clearly show an increasing expansion with increasing water content, with the existence of a critical water saturation level between 70 and 80%. Differential X-ray imaging on differently saturated limestone samples in an unfrozen and frozen state then aided in explaining the origin of this critical saturation degree. By draining water from surrounding micro-pores through cryo-suction, ink-bottle ooid voids served as expansion reservoirs. When the majority of the ooid voids is water saturated prior to freezing, these voids lose their expansion reservoir ability and damaging pressures arise when water freezes inside undrained micro-pores. These findings not only help to understand the FT resistance of this limestone, but also give insight in the general FT behaviour of materials with bi- or multimodal pore-size distributions.

Defect-induced activity enhancement of enzyme-encapsulated metal-organic frameworks revealed in microfluidic gradient mixing synthesis.

Mimicking the cellular environment, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising for encapsulating enzymes for general applications in environments often unfavorable for native enzymes. Markedly different from previous researches based on bulk solution synthesis, here, we report the synthesis of enzyme-embedded MOFs in a microfluidic laminar flow. The continuously changed concentrations of MOF precursors in the gradient mixing on-chip resulted in structural defects in products. This defect-generating phenomenon enables multimodal pore size distribution in MOFs and therefore allows improved access of substrates to encapsulated enzymes while maintaining the protection to the enzymes. Thus, the as-produced enzyme-MOF composites showed much higher (~one order of magnitude) biological activity than those from conventional bulk solution synthesis. This work suggests that while microfluidic flow synthesis is currently underexplored, it is a promising strategy in producing highly active enzyme-MOF composites.

Microstructural and hydro-mechanical behaviour of bentonite pellets and powder mixtures

Binary mixtures of high-density MX-80 bentonite pellets (80%) and bentonite powder (20%) at hygroscopic water content have been recently considered as an alternative engineered barrier system for the long-term disposal of radioactive wastes. These mixtures display a dry density of around 1.49 Mg/m3 on pouring and present components with multi-modal pore size distributions that significantly evolve during the hydro-mechanical paths. To better understand the hydro-mechanical behaviour of this multiple porosity mixture, the contribution initially focuses on describing the initial state, as well as the main microstructural features determined by mercury intrusion porosimetry tests for the mix and each of the components (pellets and powder). Afterwards, hydro-mechanical results of both components and the mixture are presented. The hydraulic results focus on the water retention and water permeability, while the mechanical tests concentrate on the compressibility properties on loading.

Modelling of oedometer tests on pellet-powder bentonite mixtures to support mock-up test analysis

Bentonite mixtures of MX-80 (80% of high-density pellets and 20% of bentonite powder on a mass basis) have been recently proposed as a candidate material for sealing deep geological disposals of high-level radioactive waste. A loading/unloading oedometer test at constant water content has been performed on this mixture, which has been modelled using the finite element Code_Bright. The constitutive model used to represent the mechanical response is the Barcelona Expansive Model (BExM), since a multi-modal pore size distribution characterises the pore network of the mixture. During compression at constant water content, an increase in the degree of saturation and a consequent reduction of suction is induced. Consequently, two competing effects occur at different pore-size scales: (a) compression due to mean net stress increase; and (b) expansion on induced suction reduction that mainly affects the micro-porosity level inside aggregates. A sensitivity analysis has been performed to explore these effects, in which the elastic compressibility parameter at the micro-porosity scale for changes in mean effective stress plays an important role.

Improved biofilm adhesion and electrochemical properties of a graphite-cement composite with silica nanoflowers versus two benchmark carbon felts

Low cost graphite-cement composite (GC70S) is prepared by blending graphite, cement and fumed SiO2 to obtain nanoflowers and proposed as an alternative to common carbon-based materials in the anode of biodevices with biofilm growth. The selected anodic benchmarks are carbon felt (CF) that is cheap, flexible, porous, and conductive three-dimensional support and a modified CF with polyethyleneimine (CF-PEI), where PEI is used to coat the carbon fibers. In spite of such advantages, CF has drawbacks, such as deformation by pore compression, hydrophobicity, low biofilm adhesion, and easy fragility by aging. Compared to these benchmarks, the GC70S has a multi-modal pore size distribution with micro (1–7 μm) and nano (20 nm) pores, whereas CF and CF-PEI only show macroscopic (55–60 μm) pores. The comparative results also show that the new composite provides better wettability, higher specific surface area (4.53·107 m2·m−3), and good electrical conductivity (2.04 ± 0.18 S·m−1). In half-cell tests, the yeast biofilm is firmly attached to GC70S anode, while its charge transfer resistance is greatly reduced. From the biofilm resistance contribution, the inhabitancy appears more abundant than in CF or CF-PEI.

SANS coupled with fluid invasion approaches for characterization of overall nanopore structure and mesopore connectivity of organic-rich marine shales in China

The pore structure of shales, including pore morphology, connectivity, pore volume, specific surface area (SSA), and pore size distribution (PSD), is a significant factor in controlling gas storage and transport and the migration mechanisms of hydrocarbons. However, the lack of comprehensive characterization for both accessible and inaccessible pore structure increases the difficulty of gas-in-place estimation and gas exploration. In order to investigate the nanoscale pore system, integration of high-pressure mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), low-pressure N2/CO2 adsorption (LNA/LCA), and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) were employed to obtain a multi-scale quantitative characterization of the nanopore structure of organic-rich marine shale samples from the Longmaxi and Niutitang Formations in China. PSDs obtained from the combined techniques appropriately cover an overall nanopore size range of shale (0.35–15,000 nm) and overcome the limits of the individual method. Uni-, bi, and multi-modal PSDs were observed, but the sizes of a significant portion of the nanopores observed in these shales range from 0.35 to 100 nm. Pore volumes and surface areas of micropores (<2 nm), mesopores (2–50 nm), and macropores (>50 nm) were characterized based on the best performance window of each technique: LCA for micropores; LNA and SANS for mesopores; and MIP for macropores. It was found that micropores are the major contributor to the total SSA for both the Longmaxi and Niutitang shales. With respect to pore volume, however, the contribution to the total pore volume has a trend of micropore < mesopore < macropore for the Longmaxi shale samples, but micro-/mesopore volumes are greater than macropore volumes for samples of the Niutitang shale. Strong correlations were also observed between total organic carbon (TOC) content and micropore volume and surface area, which implies that organic matter is a controlling factor in the micropore system of organic-rich shales. In addition, strong correlations between methane adsorption capacity and both micro-/mesopore volumes and SSAs indicate that micro-/mesopores are governing factors for methane storage. Furthermore, the fractions of accessible mesopore volume and surface area were quantitatively estimated by SANS and LNA. Correlation analyses suggest that the accessibility of the mesopore surface area could be an indicator for gas transport and storage in mesopores in organic matter. Thus, a shale with higher connectivity could have higher gas diffusion capability but lower gas adsorption capacity, and vice versa.

Support-free 3D hierarchical nanoporous Cu@Cu2O for fast tandem ammonia borane dehydrogenation and nitroarenes hydrogenation under mild conditions

A support-free hierarchical nanoporous (NP) Cu@Cu2O composite is easily fabricated by dealloying Cu5Al95 alloy in dilute NaOH solution. This bulk material has a support-free spongy structure composed of three-dimensional interconnected ligaments and open pore channels with multimodal pore size distributions. The NP-Cu@Cu2O catalyst exhibits high activity, good chemoselectivity, and excellent recyclability toward one-pot transfer hydrogenation reactions of diverse nitroarenes to anilines. NP-Cu@Cu2O can effectively activate ammonia borane under mild conditions and complete the transfer hydrogenation reactions with high yields within a short time period of 5 min Cu2O formed at the nanoporous surface is proposed to be the actual active site causing this advanced performance. The main reaction intermediates were successfully separated and characterized, and a plausible condensation mechanism has been proposed for nitro reduction.

RSM-CCD design of malachite green adsorption onto activated carbon with multimodal pore size distribution prepared from Amygdalus scoparia: Kinetic and isotherm studies

In the present work, the activated carbon (AC) adsorbent with multimodal pore size distribution prepared from Amygdalus scoparia as low-cost and locally available source was applied for efficient adsorption of malachite green (MG) from aqueous media. The surface properties of the adsorbent were identified by various techniques such as FT-IR, BET and SEM analyses. The dependency of MG adsorption efficiency on the variables such as pH, initial dye concentration, adsorbent dosage and contact time was studied by central composite design (CCD) coupled with response surface methodology (RSM). A good agreement between experimental and predicted data was achieved that proved the efficiency of this model for prediction of real optimum point. Among the well-known previously isotherm models, the experimental equilibrium data were efficiently fitted by the Freundlich model, while maximum adsorption capacity of MG at 0.01 g of the adsorbent was 144.30 mg g−1. The kinetic data were efficiently interpreted by the combination of pseudo-second-order and intra-particle diffusion models. The advantage of the green adsorbent was that a small amount of the adsorbent (0.027 g) is applicable for high adsorption percentage of MG (>99.5%) within a reasonable time (75 min).

Full-scale pore structure and its controlling factors of the Wufeng-Longmaxi shale, southern Sichuan Basin, China: Implications for pore evolution of highly overmature marine shale

Shale gas primarily exists in nanopores in shale as different occurrence phases. Studies on pore structure characterization and its controlling factors are the key to understand shale gas occurrence and gas accumulation mechanism. Mercury intrusion capillary pressure (MICP), low-pressure N2 and CO2 adsorption were applied to quantify pore structure of all sizes for Wufeng-Longmaxi shale from southern Sichuan Basin, China. These shales are currently highly overmature, and their total organic carbon (TOC) contents range from 0.04% to 5.19%. Quartz content is positively correlated with TOC content in the clay-poor shales, whereas it exhibits no correlation with TOC in the clay-rich shales. Different relationships are likely due to difference in quartz origins, since the clay-poor shales contain more biogenic quartz than the clay-rich shales. Furthermore, multimodal pore size distributions were observed. Total pore volume, ranging from 1.41 to 3.03 cm3/100 g, is mainly provided by pores less than 10 nm in diameter, whereas most of the specific surface area, ranging from 19.55 to 36.64 m2/g, is provided by pores less than 2 nm in diameter. Organic matter contributes mostly to micro- and mesopore development. Clay minerals, mainly illite, also make a contribution to pore structure, especially in the organic-lean shales. The porosity development of micro- and mesopores is also controlled by thermal evolution of organic matter. Micro- and mesopores were developed at the immature to early mature stages due to pore rearrangement, expulsion of liquid hydrocarbon, and dissolution of unstable minerals. The following decrease during the late mature stage was mainly caused by oil and bitumen infill. Both micro- and mesopores were reopened at the postmature stage, which was driven by the secondary cracking of residual oil and bitumen. The final significant decline of micro- and mesopore volumes at the overmature stage was caused by persistent compaction and OM carbonization.

Avaliação da saturação efetiva ar-LNAPL em solos lateriticos com distribuição multimodal de tamanho de poros

Este trabalho visa avaliar a adequabilidade do modelo desenvolvido pela API (2007) na obtenção indireta de curvas de saturação efetiva para sistemas ar-LNAPL em solos de características lateríticas e com distribuição multimodal de tamanho de poros, tal como os encontrados em diferentes territórios do Brasil. Para esse objetivo, amostras de um solo típico do estado de São Paulo foram submetidas a testes para determinação das saturações efetivas de sistemas ar-água e ar-LNAPL a partir do hanging column test, bem como do papel filtro. Os resultados mostraram curvas de retenção típicas de solo com distribuição de tamanho de poros multimodal, sejam para sistemas ar-água ou ar-LNAPL. Adicionalmente, a obtenção de curvas de saturação efetiva ar-LNAPL a partir de sistemas ar-água por meio de equações foram coerentes, desde que sejam utilizados modelos de pressão capilar trimodais. Finalmente, tal como apontado por Alfaro Soto e Chang (2015), deve-se ressaltar que a modificação de modelos de previsão de volumes específicos de contaminantes para remediação em solos tropicais é necessária, devido às suas características de retenção diferenciadas.

Determination of specific LNAPL volumes in soils having a multimodal pore-size distribution

In this paper we present modifications to previously published models for determining the specific volume of non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) in the subsurface at and near the groundwater table following a spill or leak from the soil surface. The modifications account for porous media having multimodal pore-size distributions as is often the case with tropical soils. Data from the literature are used to show that the use of multimodal pore-size distributions can lead to significantly different subsurface LNAPL specific volume predictions and possible LNAPL recovery rates, compared to when only unimodal pore-size distributions are considered. Differences of up to 200% are possible when the dual-porosity nature of the pore system is ignored, which can yield erroneous estimates of the time needed to remediate LNAPLs from contaminated areas when conventional systems are employed.

The Impacts of Matrix Compositions on Nanopore Structure and Fractal Characteristics of Lacustrine Shales from the Changling Fault Depression, Songliao Basin, China

The Lower Cretaceous Shahezi shales are the targets for lacustrine shale gas exploration in Changling Fault Depression (CFD), Southern Songliao Basin. In this study, the Shahezi shales were investigated to further understand the impacts of rock compositions, including organic matters and minerals on pore structure and fractal characteristics. An integrated experiment procedure, including total organic carbon (TOC) content, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), low pressure nitrogen physisorption (LPNP), and mercury intrusion capillary pressure (MICP), was conducted. Seven lithofacies can be identified according to on a mineralogy-based classification scheme for shales. Inorganic mineral hosted pores are the most abundant pore type, while relatively few organic matter (OM) pores are observed in FE-SEM images of the Shahezi shales. Multimodal pore size distribution characteristics were shown in pore width ranges of 0.5–0.9 nm, 3–6 nm, and 10–40 nm. The primary controlling factors for pore structure in Shahezi shales are clay minerals rather than OM. Organic-medium mixed shale (OMMS) has the highest total pore volumes (0.0353 mL/g), followed by organic-rich mixed shale (ORMS) (0.02369 mL/g), while the organic-poor shale (OPS) has the lowest pore volumes of 0.0122 mL/g. Fractal dimensions D1 and D2 (at relative pressures of 0–0.5 and 0.5–1 of LPNP isotherms) were obtained using the Frenkel–Halsey–Hill (FHH) method, with D1 ranging from 2.0336 to 2.5957, and D2 between 2.5779 and 2.8821. Fractal dimensions are associated with specific lithofacies, because each lithofacies has a distinctive composition. Organic-medium argillaceous shale (OMAS), rich in clay, have comparatively high fractal dimension D1. In addition, organic-medium argillaceous shale (ORAS), rich in TOC, have comparatively high fractal dimension D2. OPS shale contains more siliceous and less TOC, with the lowest D1 and D2. Factor analysis indicates that clay contents is the most significant factor controlling the fractal dimensions of the lacustrine Shahezi shale.

Carbon microspheres with micro- and mesopores synthesized via spray pyrolysis for high-energy-density, electrical-double-layer capacitors

The graphitic properties, optimized pore structure, and surface chemistry of carbon materials are important factors for developing high-performance supercapacitors. In this study, we synthesized partially graphitic carbon microspheres with large surface area and multimodal pore-size distribution (high amount of micropores and small amount of mesopores) using a facile spray pyrolysis process. Vanadium oxide-carbon microspheres were synthesized via spray pyrolysis at 1000 °C. Subsequently, selective etching of vanadium oxide using NH4OH solution resulted in porous carbon (PC) microspheres with large surface area and multimodal pore structure. The post-treatment process of PC microspheres at 900 °C in Ar atmosphere enabled not only the synthesis of partially graphitic carbon microsphere via graphitization, but also the elimination of organic functional groups at the carbon surface. The supercapacitor fabricated with post-treated PC microspheres (PC-900) with a voltage window of 2.5 V exhibited high specific capacitance (110 F g−1 at 30 A g−1) and excellent rate capability in an organic electrolyte. The PC-900 supercapacitor could also produce high energy density (23 Wh kg−1) even at high power density (42 kW kg−1). In addition, the PC-900 supercapacitor exhibited excellent cyclability with capacitance reduction of approximately 5% after 10,000 cycles.

Rapid and low-cost laser synthesis of hierarchically porous graphene materials as high-performance electrodes for supercapacitors

Development of 3D hierarchically porous graphene (HPG) with supercapacitor performances at low cost has remained a challenge in electrochemical devices. Recently, laser engraving technology has been proposed as a promising and very useful method to inscribe self-designed electrode array directly onto polymeric substrates by instantaneously converting the starting material into few-layer graphene. Here we show HPG fabrication on commercial bakelite resulting in porous graphene embedded in polymer surface using the high repetition nanosecond fiber laser engraving under nitrogen atmosphere. The results showed that the as-prepared HPG presents a combination of interconnected macro-, meso- and micropores with a multi-modal pore size distribution. The morphologies, microstructures and their properties of HPG films can be governed by the laser processing parameters. Moreover, the HPG-based supercapacitors show outstanding electrochemical performance with specific capacitance superior to other supercapacitors reported previously. The simple, rapid and low-cost approach proposed in this work has great potential in large-scale applications of electronic and energy storage devices.

Soft‐templating Synthesis of Mesoporous Metal–Organic Frameworks with Enhanced Toluene Adsorption Capacity

AbstractMetal–organic frameworks (MOFs) commonly have uniform micropores (pore dimension &lt; 2 nm), which may restrict their practical applications involving large molecules. Although quite a little approaches have been developed to prepare mesoporous metal–organic frameworks (meso‐MOFs), challenge remains in the preparation of meso‐MOFs with controllable/tunable porosity. Here we developed a reliable method to rationally design and synthesize meso‐Cu‐BTC materials through utilizing a novel amphiphilic surfactant as the template. X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption isotherms and pore size distributions were applied to characterize the attained meso‐MOF products, the characterization analyses indicated that the as‐synthesized products possess multimodal pore size distribution with micropores and well‐ordered mesopores. Moreover, the porosity properties of the meso‐Cu‐BTC could be systematically controlled by varying the ratio of H2O/EtOH, the amount and type of the template. Owing to the well‐order mesoporous structure, the meso‐Cu‐BTC exhibited high uptake capacity of 152 cm3⋅g−1, about 20% higher as compared with conventional counterpart (128 cm3⋅g−1) for the capture of toluene. This work provides a new strategy to prepare meso‐MOFs with tunable porosity that would fulfill a wide range of applications involving large molecules.