Adsorption properties of various carbon materials prepared by template synthesis route

In the present study highly porous carbon materials were synthesized by applying a template assisted synthesis route. Ethylene, pyrrole and styrene have been used as carbon precursors and H-form Y zeolite as well as mesoporous silica gel as templates. The obtained carbons have apparent BET surface areas reaching from 900 to 2000 m2/g and pore volumes of 0.5–2.0 cm3/g. The total amount of adsorbed water varied from 23 to 85 mmol/g according to the textural properties of prepared carbon samples determined by nitrogen physisorption. Pyrrole carbon samples show a significantly higher water adsorption at low relative pressure. The higher surface polarity could be related to incorporated nitrogen atoms in corresponding carbon materials, whereas nitrogen contents up to 9 at.% were observed. The chemical and physical properties of prepared carbon materials were investigated by nitrogen adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, elemental analysis and thermal analysis. Water adsorption experiments have been carried out by using a magnetic suspension balance.