Synthesis of mesoporous carbon and its adsorption property to biomolecules

Mesoporous carbon (MC) with high surface area and large pore volume was synthesized using mesophase pitch as a carbon precursor and nanosized MgO as an additive. The maximum surface area, largest pore volume and highest mesoporous ratio of as-prepared MC were up to 1400 m2/g, 2.8 cm3/g and 89%, respectively. The mesoporous structures (3–40 nm) of MC were directly observed under SEM and TEM. The adsorption capacity and adsorption rate of MC to vitamin B12 (VB), chicken egg white albumin (CEWA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were proportional to the mesopore volume and average pore size. MC (PM4-OC) exhibited the maximum adsorption capacity to the typical biomolecules, 486, 140 and 176 mg/g for VB, CEWA and BSA, respectively. In contrast, Maxsorbs (commercial activated carbons) with a surprising surface area gave a very low adsorption to such biomolecules. The research indicates that MC may be potential in the selective adsorption and separation of biomolecules, based on a molecule sieve effect.