Ordered mesoporous carbons from the carbonization of sulfuric-acid-treated silica/triblock copolymer/sucrose composites

Ordered mesoporous carbon materials were successfully synthesized by the carbonization of sulfuric-acid-treated silica/triblock copolymer/sucrose composites. In the current approach, triblock copolymer P123 and sucrose were employed as both structure-directing agents for self-assembly of tetraethyl orthosilicate and carbon precursors, and sulfuric acid was used to cross-link P123 and sucrose in the as-synthesized composites in order to improve the carbon yield. When the weight ratio of sucrose relative to P123 was 1:4, ordered mesoporous carbon (C-S) with hexagonally arranged pore centered at 3.0 nm was synthesized. However, when the weight ratio was increased to 1:2, the obtained carbon material (C-S-1) exhibited low-ordered pore structure. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis revealed that C-S consisted of ca. 26 wt.% sucrose carbon and ca. 74 wt.% P123 carbon, and there was noticeable interaction between sucrose and P123, where P123 was a key substance for the formation of ordered mesostructure, and sucrose was responsible for the increased carbon yield.