Preparation and characterization of activated carbon fibers from liquefied wood

Wooden activated carbon fibers (WACFs) were prepared from phenolated Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) using CO₂ activation; microstructure characterization, the adsorption capacity, BET-specific surface area, and pore distribution of WACFs were investigated by SEM and X-ray analysis. Results showed that WACFs have a smooth surface and round or elliptical cross-section. The (002) crystal plane diffraction peak of the WACFs was obviously heightened, also showing an apparent (100) diffraction peak. With increased activation temperature, the value of d ₍₀₀₂₎ gradually decreased, whereas the values of the crystallite sizes L _a and L _c initially decreased and then increased. The L _c/d ₍₀₀₂₎ and g values corresponding to the degree of change in the graphitization structure increased. WACFs mainly have micropores as well as a few macro- and mesopores. The micropore diameter of WACFs has a narrow range (0.3–0.5 nm). With increased activation temperature, the single-point surface area, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, micropore area, single-point total pore volume, and micropore volume of WACFs increased, while the pore diameter decreased. At 900 °C, the iodine adsorption and yield rate of WACFs were 779.22 mg/g and 51.48 %, respectively.     

Adsorption on nonporous and supermicroporous adsorbents

The mean values of the characteristic energy of C₆H₆ adsorption in large micropores were calculated from the adsorption isotherms of benzene vapor on carbon blacks. The supermicropores are characterized by the significant dispersion of the adsorption potential resulted from the pore-size distribution, which imparts the polymolecular character to adsorption. The effect of enhancement of the characteristic energy of adsorption was analyzed, which was caused by the overlap of the force fields of the opposite pore walls and the reduction of the adsorption film surface with micropore volume filling. The both factors are comparable by magnitude and depend on the micropore sizes.     

An analytical method of micropore filling of a supercritical gas

The supercritical gas adsorbed in the micropore having a strong molecular field was presumed to transform into the quasi-vapor to be filled in the micropore (quasi-vaporization adsorption mechanism). The Dubinin-Radushkevitch (DR) equation for micropore filling of vapor was extended to the quasi-vaporized supercritical gas using the quasi-saturated vapor pressureP _{0 q} and the inherent micropore volumeW _L . The reason why the concepts ofP _0q andW _L were introduced was explained with the molecule-pore interaction potential theory which is based on the Lennard-Jones interaction. The extended DR equation was named the supercritical DR equation. TheW _L was evaluated by the Langmuir plot of the adsorption isotherm for a supercritical gas and both ofP _0q andW _L provided the single reduced adsorption isotherms of supercritical NO, N₂, and CH₄ on activated carbon fibers and high surface area carbons were analyzed by the supercritical DR plots. The wide applicability of the reduced adsorption isotherm to these adsorption data was explicity shown. The two phase model of the organized and confined fluids was proposed in order to improve the quasi-vaporization adsorption mechanism.     

Cluster-Mediated Water Adsorption on Carbon Nanopores

The adsorption isotherms of water at 303 K and N2 at 77 K on various kinds of porous carbons were compared with each other. The saturated amounts of water adsorbed on carbons almost coincided with amounts of N2 adsorption in micropores. Although carbon aerogel samples have mesopores of the great pore volume, the saturated amount of adsorbed water was close to the micropore volume which is much small than the mesopore volume. These adsorption data on carbon aerogels indicated that the water molecules are not adsorbed in mesopores, but in micropores only. The adsorption isotherms of water on activated carbon having micropores of smaller than 0.7 nm in width had no clear adsorption hysteresis, while the water adsorption isotherms on micropores of greater than 0.7 nm had a remarkable adsorption hysteresis above P/P0 = 0.5. The disappearance of the clear hysteresis for smaller micropores suggested that the cluster of water molecules of about 0.7 nm in size gives rise to the water adsorption on the hydrophobic micropores; the formation and the structure of clusters of water molecules were associated with the adsorption mechanism. The cluster-mediated pore filling mechanism was proposed with a special relevance to the evidence on the formation of the ordered water molecular assembly in the carbon micropores by in situ X-ray diffraction.     

Specific Features of the Adsorption and Nuclear Magnetic Relaxation of Water Molecules in Active Carbons. 1. Relation between the Spin-Spin Relaxation of Adsorbed Water Molecules and Structural Parameters of Microporous Active Carbons

Relation between the spin-spin nuclear magnetic relaxation time T ₂ of adsorbed water molecules and parameters of microporous structure of carbon adsorbents is disclosed. The pattern of dependences of T ₂ on the relative pressure and the number of water molecules per one primary adsorption site (PAS) is governed by the pore sizes and the number and nature of PASs. At a complete micropore filling, the T ₂ value depends on the volume density of PASs in active carbons. In the absence of PASs in the micropores, T ₂ is equal approximately to 21 ms. The larger the volume density of PASs, the smaller the number of water molecules per one PAS at the complete filling of micropores; i.e., the looser the packing of water molecules. The results of studying active carbons by the pulsed ¹H NMR method agree well with the data of the adsorption method.     

Hydrogen adsorption in transition metal carbon nano-structures

Templated microporous carbons were synthesized from metal impregnated zeolite Y templates. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) were employed to characterize morphology and structure of the generated carbon materials. The surface area, micro- and meso-pore volumes, as well as the pore size distribution of all the carbon materials were determined by N₂ adsorption at 77 K and correlated to their hydrogen storage capacity. All the hydrogen adsorption isotherms were Type 1 and reversible, indicating physisorption at 77 K. Most templated carbons show good hydrogen storage with the best sample Rh-C having surface area 1817 m²/g and micropore volume 1.04 cm³/g, achieving the highest as 8.8 mmol/g hydrogen storage capacity at 77 K, 1 bar. Comparison between activated carbons and synthesized templated carbons revealed that the hydrogen adsorption in the latter carbon samples occurs mainly by pore filling and smaller pores of sizes around 6 Å to 8 Å are filled initially, followed by larger micropores. Overall, hydrogen adsorption was found to be dependent on the micropore volume as well as the pore-size, larger micropore volumes showing higher hydrogen adsorption capacity.     

The adsorption of chlorobenzene on a carbon adsorbent obtained by the pyrolysis of hypercrosslinked polystyrene

The adsorption of chlorobenzene vapor on an experimental D4609 (Purolite Int.) adsorbent prepared by the pyrolysis of hypercrosslinked polystyrene was studied. The adsorbent was characterized by a large specific surface area, a narrow pore size distribution with the predominant fraction of pore diameters 0.9–3.4 nm, and a high absorption ability with respect to chlorobenzene. The adsorption isotherms were measured over the temperature range 100–140°C, and the thermodynamic characteristics of adsorption were determined. In spite of the correspondence to the formal requirements of the theory of volume filling of micropores, the mechanism of adsorption in narrow micropores (<1.2—1.5 nm) was different from filling with a condensed phase.     

Nanospace geometry-sensitive molecular assembly

Interaction of a molecule with micropore walls strongly depends on the micropore width. Molecules confined in the micropore tend to form an intermolecular structure inherent to each molecule/pore system in order to lower the whole molecular energy. Supercritical NO is adsorbed in micropores of zolite or activated carbon fiber in the form of a dimer at 303 K. The NO dimerization varies with the micropore width. CCl₄ molecules only in pore of pore width =1.0 nm at 303 K form a plastic crystalline structure which is observed at 246–250 K in the bulk phase. H₂O molecules are associated with each other to form an ordered assembly in carbon micropores at 303 K; the smaller the pore width, the more ordered the assembly structure. The presence of preadsorbed H₂O noticeably enhances adsorption of supercritical CH₄ in carbon micropores at 303 K due to methane nanohydrate formation, which has an optimum pore width of 1 nm.     

Multicomponent Adsorption of Pesticides onto Activated Carbon Fibers

The adsorption equilibria of pesticides and metabolites (atrazine, deethylatrazine, deisopropylatrazine and simazine) are studied onto activated carbon fibers –ACF– with a broad pore size distribution (32% mesopore volume, 68% micropore volume). Mono-and multi-component isotherms have been determined for low concentrations, from 0.23×10⁻⁶ to 9.52×10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. Single solute isotherms, modeled by Freundlich and Langmuir models, tend to prove the influence of the adsorbate's solubility in the adsorption capacity of activated carbon fibers. Binary solute isotherms confirm the strong influence of pesticide solubility on the competitive adsorption mechanism: the competition is higher in the case of adsorbates of different solubilities (atrazine and DEA or DIA for example). Multicomponent experimental data were modeled by extended Langmuir-based equations and the Ideal Adsorbed Solution theory. Whereas the first ones failed to model accurately binary adsorption due to restrictive hypothesis, the IAS model showed a good agreement between experimental and predicted data. It emphasised also the difficulty in satisfying the hypothesis of the model in the case of highly adsorbed compounds. Finally, the simultaneous adsorption of atrazine and NOM (in a natural water, DOC = 18.2 mg L⁻¹) shows no adsorption competition effects between natural organic matter and atrazine. This is due to the presence of secondary micropores (0.8–2 nm) and mesopores in the ACF, which limit a pore blockage phenomenon by NOM.     

Extension of the Theory of Volume Filling of Micropores to Adsorption in Supermicropores

An enhancement in characteristic energy of adsorption in large micropores is analyzed. The effect is due to the overlapping of potential fields from opposite walls of pores and to reduction of the surface adsorption film on filling the micropore volume. The effects of both factors are comparable in magnitude and dependent on the micropore size. This work is devoted to memory of the professor W. Schirmer     

多孔活性炭孔径分布的表征

总结了利用气体吸附法表征多孔活性炭中孔和微孔孔径分布的各种方法。BJH方法和MP模型忽略了微孔内势能叠加效应,仅适合描述中孔孔径分布;HK模型和以Dubinin填充理论为基础的各种方法,考虑了微观下势能叠加的效果,在一定程度上能很好地描述微孔孔径分布;最近围绕GAI(GeneralizedAdsorptionIsotherm)而展开的利用密度范函理论(DFT,densityfunctiontheory)和巨正则系综蒙特卡罗(GCMC,grandcanonicalensemblemontecarlo)模拟确定微孔孔径分布的方法较好地克服了Dubinin理论中存在的缺点,是较好的两种方法,但其有效性还需要更多的实验结果来证明。     

Molecular Simulation on Competitive Adsorption Differences of Gas with Different Pore Sizes in Coal

Micropores are the primary sites for methane occurrence in coal. Studying the regularity of methane occurrence in micropores is significant for targeted displacement and other yield-increasing measures in the future. This study used simplified graphene sheets as pore walls to construct coal-structural models with pore sizes of 1 nm, 2 nm, and 4 nm. Based on the Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) and molecular dynamics theory, we simulated the adsorption characteristics of methane in pores of different sizes. The results showed that the adsorption capacity was positively correlated with the pore size for pure gas adsorption. The adsorption capacity increased with pressure and pore size for competitive adsorption of binary mixtures in pores. As the average isosteric heat decreased, the interaction between the gas and the pore wall weakened, and the desorption amount of CH₄ decreased. In ultramicropores, the high concentration of CO₂ (50–70%) is more conducive to CH₄ desorption; however, when the CO₂ concentration is greater than 70%, the corresponding CH₄ adsorption amount is meager, and the selected adsorption coefficient S_CO2/CH4 is small. Therefore, to achieve effective desorption of methane in coal micropores, relatively low pressure (4–6 MPa) and a relatively low CO₂ concentration (50–70%) should be selected in the process of increasing methane production by CO₂ injection in later stages. These research results provide theoretical support for gas injection to promote CH₄ desorption in coal pores and to increase yield.     

Heats of n-hexane and n-heptane vapor adsorption onto polyhydroxyaluminum montmorillonite

The differential isosteric heat of the adsorption of n-hexane and n-heptane vapors on dehydrated polyhydroxyaluminum montmorillonite was determined. Using the temperature dependence of the parameters of the adsorption equilibrium, it was established that substituting sodium ions for polyhydroxyaluminum cations leads to an increase in the volume of micropores and the adsorption heat of hydrocarbons, and the curves of the adsorption heats of C₆H₁₄ and C₇H₁₆ are of an extreme nature. The appearance of the maxima is associated with the interaction between and among the adsorbate molecules and active centers, due to consolidation in the process of filling micropore volumes.     

Influence of surface treatments on micropore structure and hydrogen adsorption behavior of nanoporous carbons

The scope of this work was to control the pore sizes of porous carbons by various surface treatments and to investigate the relation between pore structures and hydrogen adsorption capacity. The effects of various surface treatments (i.e., gas-phase ozone, anodic oxidation, fluorination, and oxygen plasma) on the micropore structures of porous carbons were investigated by N(2)/77 K isothermal adsorption. The hydrogen adsorption capacity was measured by H(2) isothermal adsorption at 77 K. In the result, the specific surface area and micropore volume of all of the treated samples were slightly decreased due to the micropore filling or pore collapsing behaviors. It was also found that in F(2)-treated carbons the center of the pore size distribution was shifted to left side, meaning that the average size of the micropores decreased. The F(2)- and plasma-treated samples showed higher hydrogen storage capacities than did the other samples, the F(2)-treated one being the best, indicating that the micropore size of the porous carbons played a key role in the hydrogen adsorption at 77 K.     

Characterization of the porous structure of carbon adsorbents with a wide size distribution of micropores

Our study using the nonlocal density functional theory (NDFT) showed that active coals might have a bidisperse microporous structure. The binomial equation of the theory of volume filling of micropores (TVFM) approximates well the nitrogen adsorption isotherms at relative pressures from 1 × 10⁻⁴ to 0.2. The dominant micropore sizes calculated in terms of the characteristic adsorption energy lie in the region of the maximum of the size distribution of micropores calculated by the NDFT method. The tentative micropore sizes can be determined from the modified second term of the TVFM equation. The Henry and BET equations describe very limited regions of the nitrogen adsorption isotherm on microporous active coals.     

Optimization of structural and energy characteristics of adsorbents for methane storage

Using numerical and analytical methods, a model for microporous carbon adsorbents with slit-shaped pores of different widths was developed. Such pores are formed during activation procedure by the removal of the hexagonal carbon layers burnt out in a graphite-like crystallites. Dubinin’s theory of volume filling of micropores was used to calculate methane adsorption equilibria on these model adsorbents. Isobaric dependences of methane adsorption on pore width, specific micropore volumes, and the specific surface were plotted in the range of pressures from 1 to 10 MPa. It was found that the isobaric adsorption curves had a maximum the position of which depends on both the structural-energy characteristics of the adsorbent and thermodynamic conditions chosen to operate the adsorption system. As pressure increased, the maximum of adsorption shifts to the porous systems with wider pores and larger micropore volume.     

Low-temperature adsorption of hydrogen on nanoporous aluminophosphates: effect of pore size

Several nanoporous aluminophosphates (AlPOs) have been used to analyze the effect of pore diameter on the hydrogen adsorption characteristics. The heat of adsorption and adsorption capacity per unit micropore volume increase with decreasing pore size. AlPOs with smaller micropores favorably adsorb hydrogen at relatively low pressures. This work demonstrates that small pore size and large micropore volume are beneficial for high hydrogen uptake.     

Effects of active carbon pore size distributions on adsorption of toxic organic compounds

The use of active carbons for the removal of toxic organic compounds, for example from air or smoke, is of significant interest. In this paper, the equilibrium and dynamic adsorption characteristics of two active carbons are explored; one microporous coconut based and the other micro-mesoporous derived from a synthetic resin. Benzene, acetaldehyde and acrylonitrile were chosen as the probe toxicant vapours and adsorption was measured at a temperature of 298 K. The nitrogen equilibrium data (at 77 K), analysed using the BET, Dubinin-Radushkevich equations and DFT models, showed a higher overall adsorption capacity, more supermicroporosity and a higher proportion of pores wider than 2 nm for the synthetic resin based material. A micropore distribution biased toward the ultramicropore width-range was observed for the nutshell material. As a consequence, the characteristic adsorption energies in micropores are higher for the nutshell material than the resin based carbon. The effect of these different pore size characteristics on the adsorption kinetics, obtained by fitting the data to the linear driving force (LDF) model, is that the resulting adsorption rate constants are higher across much of the relative pressure range (p/p ^s ) studied for the resin based carbon compared to the nutshell material. Significantly, the wider pores of the resin-based carbon result in higher rates of adsorption in the micropore filling domain. When evaluated under dynamic conditions in cigarette smoke, improved toxicant removal was observed using the resin based carbon.     

A New Synthetic Route to Microporous Silica with Well‐Defined Pores by Replication of a Metal–Organic Framework

Microporous amorphous hydrophobic silica materials with well‐defined pores were synthesized by replication of the metal–organic framework (MOF) [Cu₃(1,3,5‐benzenetricarboxylate)₂] (HKUST‐1). The silica replicas were obtained by using tetramethoxysilane or tetraethoxysilane as silica precursors and have a micro–meso binary pore system. The BET surface area, the micropore volume, and the mesopore volume of the silica replica, obtained by means of hydrothermal treatment at 423 K with tetraethoxysilane, are 620 m²g^?1, 0.18 mL g^?1, and 0.55 mL g^?1, respectively. Interestingly, the silica has micropores with a pore size of 0.55 nm that corresponds to the pore‐wall thickness of the template MOF. The silica replica is hydrophobic, as confirmed by adsorption analyses, although the replica has a certain amount of silanol groups. This hydrophobicity is due to the unique condensation environment of the silica precursors in the template MOF.