Direct synthesis of porous carbon via carbonizing precursors of aluminum phosphate containing citric acid

A simple and efficient route is reported for the synthesis of porous carbon materials via carbonizing a kind of composite containing citric acid (CA) and aluminum phosphate (AlPO). The resulting carbon materials, bearing mesoporous and/or microporous characteristics, possess uniform pore size distribution and certain degree graphitic phase characteristic. The structural parameters of these materials, including mean pore sizes, pore volumes and specific surface areas, can be further tuned within a certain range by addition of suitable amount of sucrose (SU) into the CA/AlPO composite. The mesostructured AlPO, which is formed insitu during the carbonization, can be regarded as a hard-template for the formation of porous carbon material. We propose that the uniform distribution of CA, and the presence of suitable interaction between CA and aluminum phosphate are critical factors for the formation of mesoporous carbon network.