Synthesis of mesoporous carbon nanosheets using tubular halloysite and furfuryl alcohol by a template-like method

Mesoporous carbon nanosheets were synthesized using tubular halloysite, a kind of natural kaolinite, as inorganic matrix and furfuryl alcohol (FA) as carbon precursor by a template-like method. The inorganic mineral was removed by washing carbon–mineral mixture with HF and HCl. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and nitrogen adsorption analysis were employed to study the morphology and structure of the samples. A lot of mesopores on the carbon nanosheets can be observed clearly from the TEM and SEM images. The formation mechanism of sheet-like carbons was explored by using TEM and SEM images. The resultant carbons exhibit a high degree of mesoporosity (78–84%), high specific surface area (the largest is 1130 m2 g−1) and large total pore volumes (the largest is 2.32 m3 g−1). The study shows that the impregnation pressure and duration play an important role on the development of pore structure of the resultant carbons, such as specific surface areas and total pore volumes.