Fabrication of partially graphitic three-dimensional nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon using polyaniline nanocomposite through nanotemplating method

A novel nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon with three-dimensional (3D) body centered Ia3¯d structure (N-MCK6) has been successfully prepared for the first time by employing KIT-6 mesoporous silica as a hard template with aniline molecule as a carbon precursor. The polymerization of aniline molecules inside the mesochannels of KIT-6 template has been performed by ammonium peroxydisulfate. The obtained material has been unambiguously characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption at −196 °C, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XRD analysis revealed that N-MCK6 possesses 3D cubic structure with an enatiomeric pair of independently interpenetrating 3D continuous networks of mesoporous channels that are mutually intertwined and separated by carbon walls. HRTEM images of N-MCK6 display highly ordered mesoporous structure with linear array of mesopores, which are arranged in regular intervals. It has been found that the material is partially graphitic and possesses high surface area, pore volume and uniform pore size distribution. XPS, CHN and EELS analysis confirm that the nitrogen atom can be successfully doped in the carbon nanostructure. XPS results also revealed that the sample mainly possesses graphitic carbon atoms which are bonded to nitrogen in the form of imine and amine groups. This simple method can offer material with a considerable amount of nitrogen in the carbon lattice, which can be applied for many electrical and electronic, and energy storage applications.