Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Tulane University

Jing Tang

Mei Cai

Yunfeng Lu

Qingyuan Hu

Carbon with mesopores (about two to fifteen nanometers in average pore size) is made using sucrose as a source of carbon, and silica and phosphoric acid as templates for the mesopore structure in the carbon. A silica sol is prepared in a water/ethanol medium and sucrose is dispersed in the sol. Phosphoric acid may be added to the sol to control pore size in the mesopore size range. The sol is dried, carbonized, and the silica and phosphate materials removed by leaching. The residue is a mesoporous carbon mass having utility as a catalyst support, gas absorbent, and the like.

Making mesoporous carbon with tunable pore size

Mesoporous carbon and silica containing composites are prepared based on the co-assembly of a suitable surfactant in a liquid medium. When a low molecular weight carbonizable polymer and a silica precursor are added to the surfactant solution, a mixture of distinct phases of the materials is formed after solvent evaporation. A polymer/silica solid composite with highly organized mesopores is obtained after surfactant removal. This product has utility as a catalyst support or gas absorbent. And the polymer-silica composite can be easily converted successively to a mesoporous carbon-silica composite and to a bimodal mesoporous carbon material.

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New Orleans, LA, United States of America

Jing Tang