Self-assembling and size-selective synthesis of Ni and NiO nanoparticles embedded in ordered mesoporous carbon and polymer frameworks

We demonstrate the self-assembling and size-selective synthesis of uniform and highly dispersed Ni or NiO nanoparticles with diameters below 12 nm embedded in ordered mesoporous carbon or polymer frameworks. Self-assembly is induced by evaporation of the solvent from a mixture of metal-containing liquid crystalline (LC) mesophases of triblock copolymer and transition metal nitrate hydrate, and the carbon source is low-polymerized phenolic resol. Characterization by XRD, N(2) sorption isotherms, TEM, HRSEM, ICP-AES, TG, and XPS techniques has indicated an ordered 2D hexagonal mesostructure, high surface areas between 524 and 721 m(2) g(-1), uniform pore sizes of about 4.0 nm, large pore volumes ranging from 0.34 to 0.58 cm(3) g(-1), and metal contents ranging from 0.6 to 10.0 wt%. There is a high degree of dispersion, and a small size of nanoparticles throughout the whole framework, without aggregation outside of the pores due to the confinement effect of the mesoporous ordered matrix. The mesoporous solids show excellent adsorption properties for dyes and permit an easy magnetic separation procedure. This method is expected to be applicable to other mesoporous transition metal(oxide)-containing carbon catalysts.     

Preparation of activated ordered mesoporous carbons with a channel structure

Activated ordered mesoporous carbons with a channel structure (AOMCs-CS) were successfully prepared by imposing CO(2) activation on ordered mesopore carbon C-FDU-15. It is found that the continuous carbon framework of the precursor C-FDU-15 plays an important role in keeping the order structure of the resulting AOMCs-CS. The mild activation (e.g., 31 wt % burnoff) does not impair the order degree. After that, the order degree gradually decreases with further increasing burnoff. However, the basic hexagonal mesostructure of C-FDU-15 can still be found in the AOMCs-CS when the burnoff is up to 73 wt %, although many carbon walls are punched and thus many larger mesopores and marcropores are generated. With increasing burnoff, the surface area and volume of micropores increase first and then decrease, and the surface area and volume of mesopores continuously increase. The highest measured Brunaruer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, micropore volume, and total pore volume of the AOMCs-CS reach 2004 m(2)/g, 0.50 cm(3)/g, and 1.22 cm(3)/g, respectively.     

Solvent evaporation induced aggregating assembly approach to three-dimensional ordered mesoporous silica with ultralarge accessible mesopores

A solvent evaporation induced aggregating assembly (EIAA) method has been demonstrated for synthesis of highly ordered mesoporous silicas (OMS) in the acidic tetrahydrofuran (THF)/H(2)O mixture by using poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PEO-b-PMMA) as the template and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as the silica precursor. During the continuous evaporation of THF (a good solvent for PEO-b-PMMA) from the reaction solution, the template molecules, together with silicate oligomers, were driven to form composite micelles in the homogeneous solution and further assemble into large particles with ordered mesostructure. The obtained ordered mesoporous silicas possess a unique crystal-like morphology with a face centered cubic (fcc) mesostructure, large pore size up to 37.0 nm, large window size (8.7 nm), high BET surface area (508 m(2)/g), and large pore volume (1.46 cm(3)/g). Because of the large accessible mesopores, uniform gold nanoparticles (ca. 4.0 nm) can be introduced into mesopores of the OMS materials using the in situ reduction method. The obtained Au/OMS materials were successfully applied to fast catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol in the presence of NaHB(4) as the reductant. The supported catalysts can be reused for catalytic reactions without significant decrease in catalysis performance even after 10 cycles.     

Post-treatment and characterization of novel luminescent hybrid bimodal mesoporous silicas

A novel luminescent hybrid bimodal mesoporous silicas (LHBMS) were synthesized via grafting 1,8-Naphthalic anhydride into the pore channels of bimodal mesoporous silicas (BMMs) for the first time. The resulting samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂ adsorption/desorption measurement, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, and Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The results show that 1,8-Naphthalic anhydride organic groups have been successfully introduced into the mesopores of the BMMs and the hybrid silicas are of bimodal mesoporous structure with the ordered small mesopores of around 3 nm and the large mesopores of uniform intra-nanoparticle. The excellent photoluminescent performance of LHBMS has a blue shift compared to that of 2-[3-(triethoxysilyl) propyl-1 H-Benz [de]isoquinoline-1, 3(2 H)-dione, suggesting the existence of the quantum confinement effectiveness.     

Improvement of the Visible‐Light Photocatalytic Performance of TiO2 by Carbon Mesostructures

An improvement in the photodegradation performance for dyes due to interaction between carbon and titania in a self‐assembled mesoporous C? TiO₂ composite catalyst, even for the difficult degradation of azo dyes, is reported herein. The dye removal process involves adsorption of the dye from water by the mesoporous carbon–titania, followed by photodegradation on the separated dye‐loaded solid. Such adsorption–catalysis cycles can be carried out more than 80 times without discernible loss of photocatalytic activity or the anatase content of the composite. In each run, about 120 mg dye per g catalyst can be degraded. The mesoporous carbon–titania catalyst also exhibits a high capacity for converting methyl orange in aqueous solution under visible light. Characterization by XRD, TEM, and N₂ sorption techniques has revealed that the self‐assembled composite catalyst has an ordered mesostructure, uniform mesopores (4.3 nm), a large pore volume (0.30 cm³ g^?1), and a high surface area (348 m² g^?1). The pore walls are composed of amorphous carbon and anatase nanoparticles of size 4.2 nm, which are well dispersed and confined. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS), and UV/Vis absorption results indicate doping of carbon into the anatase lattice and a change in the bandgap of the semiconductor. The synergistic improvement in the composite catalyst can be attributed to the following features: (1) carbon doping of the anatase lattice modifies its bandgap and enhances its activity under visible light; (2) confinement within carbon pore walls prevents aggregation of tiny anatase nanoparticles, improving their activity and stability; (3) the mesopores provide a confined space for photocatalysis; and (4) the strong adsorption ability of porous carbon for organic substances ensures that large quantities can be processed and inhibits further diffusion of the adsorbed organic substances, thereby enhancing the mineralization on anatase.     

Magnetic mesoporous carbon for efficient removal of organic pollutants

Carbon materials such as activated carbons have been used in the field of water and wastewater treatments. However, the lack of mesopore and, particularly, the difficulty in recovering the spent carbon limited their applications. In this work, magnetic mesoporous carbon microspheres were synthesized by impregnating iron oxide precursors in the mesoporous carbon followed by the in situ conversion of the precursors into magnetite nanoparticles. The as-synthesized carbon microspheres with a high surface area of 742?m²/g and large mesopores of ～4.4?nm exhibited an excellent adsorption capacity for aqueous organic pollutants. The superparamagnetic microspheres with a saturation magnetization of 7.15 emu/g can be easily separated from the treated solution by external magnetic field.     

Free-standing mesoporous carbon thin films with highly ordered pore architectures for nanodevices

We report for the first time the synthesis of free-standing mesoporous carbon films with highly ordered pore architecture by a simple coating-etching approach, which have an intact morphology with variable sizes as large as several square centimeters and a controllable thickness of 90 nm to ～3 μm. The mesoporous carbon films were first synthesized by coating a resol precursors/Pluronic copolymer solution on a preoxidized silicon wafer and forming highly ordered polymeric mesostructures based on organic-organic self-assembly, followed by carbonizing at 600 °C and finally etching of the native oxide layer between the carbon film and the silicon substrate. The mesostructure of this free-standing carbon film is confirmed to be an ordered face-centered orthorhombic Fmmm structure, distorted from the (110) oriented body-centered cubic Im3?m symmetry. The mesoporosity of the carbon films has been evaluated by nitrogen sorption, which shows a high specific BET surface area of 700 m(2)/g and large uniform mesopores of ～4.3 nm. Both mesostructures and pore sizes can be tuned by changing the block copolymer templates or the ratio of resol to template. These free-standing mesoporous carbon films with cracking-free uniform morphology can be transferred or bent on different surfaces, especially with the aid of the soft polymer layer transfer technique, thus allowing for a variety of potential applications in electrochemistry and biomolecule separation. As a proof of concept, an electrochemical supercapacitor device directly made by the mesoporous carbon thin films shows a capacitance of 136 F/g at 0.5 A/g. Moreover, a nanofilter based on the carbon films has shown an excellent size-selective filtration of cytochrome c and bovine serum albumin.     

Confined Self‐Assembly in Two‐Dimensional Interlayer Space: Monolayered Mesoporous Carbon Nanosheets with In‐Plane Orderly Arranged Mesopores and a Highly Graphitized Framework

Although two‐dimensional (2D) carbon materials are widely investigated, a well‐defined 2D carbon nanosheet with an ordered mesostructure has rarely been realized. Monolayer‐ordered mesoporous carbon nanosheets (OMCNS) were prepared through confinement assembly of resol and F127 in the interlayer of montmorillonite (MONT). The nanoscale distance of the interlayer space of MONT only allow the assembly of resol and F127 in the same plane, leading to ordered mesopores perpendicular to carbon nanosheets, and favor the formation of sp² carbon, resulting in a high degree of graphitization. The mesopores on the carbon nanosheets provide efficient ion diffusion, and the high degree of graphitization provides a fast electron‐transport route, enabling OMCNS as excellent electrode materials for electric double layer capacitors.     

Ordered mesoporous platinum@graphitic carbon embedded nanophase as a highly active, stable, and methanol-tolerant oxygen reduction electrocatalyst

Highly ordered mesoporous platinum@graphitic carbon (Pt@GC) composites with well-graphitized carbon frameworks and uniformly dispersed Pt nanoparticles embedded within the carbon pore walls have been rationally designed and synthesized. In this facile method, ordered mesoporous silica impregnated with a variable amount of Pt precursor is adopted as the hard template, followed by carbon deposition through a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process with methane as a carbon precursor. During the CVD process, in situ reduction of Pt precursor, deposition of carbon, and graphitization can be integrated into a single step. The mesostructure, porosity and Pt content in the final mesoporous Pt@GC composites can be conveniently adjusted over a wide range by controlling the initial loading amount of Pt precursor and the CVD temperature and duration. The integration of high surface area, regular mesopores, graphitic nature of the carbon walls as well as highly dispersed and spatially embedded Pt nanoparticles in the mesoporous Pt@GC composites make them excellent as highly active, extremely stable, and methanol-tolerant electrocatalysts toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). A systematic study by comparing the ORR performance among several carbon supported Pt electrocatalysts suggests the overwhelmingly better performance of the mesoporous Pt@GC composites. The structural, textural, and framework properties of the mesoporous Pt@GC composites are extensively studied and strongly related to their excellent ORR performance. These materials are highly promising for fuel cell applications and the synthesis method is quite applicable for constructing mesoporous graphitized carbon materials with various embedded nanophases.     

Magnetically separated and N,S co-doped mesoporous carbon microspheres for the removal of mercury ions

Magnetically separated and N, S co-doped mesoporous carbon microspheres (N/S-MCMs/Fe₃O₄) are fabricated by encapsulating SiO₂ nanoparticles within N, S-containing polymer microspheres which were prepared using resorcinol/formaldehyde as the carbon source and cysteine as the nitrogen and sulfur co-precursors, followed by the carbonization process, silica template removal, and the introduction of Fe₃O₄ into the carbon mesopores. N/S-MCMs/Fe₃O₄ exhibits an enhanced Hg²⁺ adsorption capacity of 74.5 mg/g, and the adsorbent can be conveniently and rapidly separated from wastewater using an externalmagnetic field. This study opens up new opportunities to synthesize welldeveloped, carbon-based materials as an adsorbent for potential applications in the removal of mercury ions from wastewater.     

MnO2-embedded-in-mesoporous-carbon-wall structure for use as electrochemical capacitors

We present an in situ reduction method to synthesize a novel structured MnO(2)/mesoporous carbon (MnC) composite. MnO(2) nanoparticles have been synthesized and embedded into the mesoporous carbon wall of CMK-3 materials by the redox reaction between permanganate ions and carbons. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG), X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen sorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and cyclic voltammetry were employed to characterize these composite materials. The results show that different MnO(2) contents could be introduced into the pores of CMK-3 treated with different concentrations of potassium permanganate aqueous solution, while retaining the ordered mesostructure and larger surface area. Increasing the MnO(2) content did not result in a decrease in pore size from the data of nitrogen sorption isotherms, indicating that MnO(2) nanoparticles are embedded in the pore wall, as evidenced by TEM observation. We obtained a large specific capacitance over 200 F/g for the MnC composite and 600 F/g for the MnO(2), and these materials have high electrochemical stability and high reversibility.     

Comparative study on pore structures of mesoporous ZSM-5 from resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogel and carbon aerogel templating

Resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogels and carbon aerogels of different mesoporosities have been used as templates for preparing bimodal zeolites of mesopores. Samples were thoroughly characterized with X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N(2) adsorption at 77 K, as well as FT-IR spectroscopy and (29)Si nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolites have additional mesopores of 9-25 nm in widths and 0.07-0.2 cm(3)/g in volumes, besides their perfect inherent micropores. Experimental results show the mesoporous systems of the finally obtained zeolites can be influenced by proper preparation of resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogels and carbon aerogels through solution chemistry. Consequently, zeolites of tunable mesoporosities can be prepared with this unique methodology.     

Synthesis of Cristobalite Containing Ordered Interstitial Mesopores using Crystallization of Silica Colloidal Crystals

Cristobalite with ordered interstitial dual-sized mesopores was synthesized through the crystallization of silica colloidal crystals composed of monodispersed amorphous silica nanoparticles. An aqueous solution containing both a flux (Na₂O) and a carbon precursor (an aqueous low-molecular weight phenolic resin) was infiltrated into the interstices of silica colloidal crystals. The organic fraction in the nanocomposite was further polymerized and subsequently carbonized in an Ar flow at 750 °C to reinforce the colloidal crystal structure. The thermal treatment resulted in the crystallization of the colloidal crystals into cristobalite while retaining the porous structure. The cristobalite-carbon nanocomposite was calcined in air to remove the carbon and create interstitial ordered mesopores in the cristobalite. The surfaces of crystalline mesoporous silica are quite different from those of various ordered mesoporous silica with amorphous frameworks; thus, the present findings will be useful for a precise understanding and control of the interfaces between the mesopores and silica networks.     

有序介孔C/NiO复合材料的合成及其电化学性能

以嵌段共聚物F127(Mw=12600, PEO106PPO70PEO106)为模板剂, Ni(Ac)2·4H2O为Ni源, 低分子量的酚醛树酯为碳源, 通过溶胶-凝胶三元共组装方法合成高度有序介孔C/NiO复合材料. 对样品进行X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、N2吸脱附等结构表征及循环伏安(CV)等电化学性能测试. 结果显示, NiO晶体和碳组成了C/NiO复合材料的基本骨架, 该复合材料具有高度有序的介孔结构. NiO晶体的存在极大地提高了复合材料的电化学性能, 当C/NiO达到4:1(苯酚与Ni(Ac)2·4H2O的摩尔比)时复合材料的比电容达到444.1 F·g-1, 而有序的介孔结构并没有被破坏, 使得该材料具有较好的应用前景.     

Magnetic N‐doped mesoporous carbon as an adsorbent for the magnetic solid‐phase extraction of phthalate esters from soft drinks

A new kind of magnetic N‐doped mesoporous carbon was prepared by the one‐step carbonization of a hybrid precursor (glucose, melamine, and iron chloride) in a N₂ atmosphere with a eutectic salt (KCl/ZnCl₂) as the porogen. The obtained magnetic N‐doped mesoporous carbon showed excellent characteristics, such as strong magnetic response, high surface area, large pore volume, and abundant π‐electron system, which endow it with a great potential as a magnetic solid‐phase extraction adsorbent. To evaluate its adsorption performance, the magnetic N‐doped mesoporous carbon was used for the extraction of three phthalate esters from soft drink samples followed by high‐performance liquid chromatographic analysis. Under the optimum conditions, the developed method showed a good linearity (1.0–120.0 ng/mL), low limit of detection (0.1–0.3 ng/mL, S/N = 3), and good recoveries (83.2–119.0%) in soft drink samples. The results indicated that the magnetic N‐doped mesoporous carbon has an excellent adsorption capacity for phthalate esters and the present method is simple, accurate, and highly efficient for the extraction and determination of phthalate esters in complex matrix samples.     

High-temperature hydrothermal synthesis of magnetically active, ordered mesoporous resin and carbon monoliths with reusable adsorption for organic dye

Magnetically active, thermally stable, and ordered mesoporous resin (MOMR-200) and carbon (MOMC-200) monoliths were prepared by one-pot hydrothermal synthesis from resol, copolymer surfactant, and iron cations at high-temperature (200 ^°C), followed by calcination at 360 ^°C and carbonization at 600 ^°C. X-ray diffraction results show that both MOMR-200 and MOMC-200 have ordered hexagonal mesoporous symmetry, and N₂ isotherms indicate that these samples have uniform mesopores (3.71, 3.45 nm), high surface area (328, 621 m²/g) and large pore volume (0.31, 0.43 cm³/g). Transmission electron microscopy shows that iron nanoparticles, which are superparamagnetic in nature, are dispersed in the network. More importantly, the high temperature (200 ^°C) products exhibit much better stability than the samples synthesized at low temperature (100 ^°C). Interestingly, MOMC-200 has higher adsorption capacity for organic dyes when compared with commercial adsorbents (activated carbon and macroporous resin: XAD-4). Combining the advantages such as magnetically active, thermally stable networks, ordered and open mesopores, high surface area, large pore volume, adsorption of pollutants in water and desorption in ethanol solvent, MOMC-200 is potentially important for water treatments.     

Nonenzymatic amperometric sensor of hydrogen peroxide and glucose based on Pt nanoparticles/ordered mesoporous carbon nanocomposite

A simple and facile synthetic method to incorporate Pt nanoparticles inside the mesopores of ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) is reported. The Pt/OMCs nanocomposite was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption. The results show that the incorporation of Pt nanoparticles inside the pores of OMCs does not change the highly ordered two-dimensional hexagonal mesostructure of OMCs matrix. Nonenzymatic amperometric sensor of hydrogen peroxide and glucose based on the Pt/OMCs nanocomposite-modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode is developed. Compared with the original OMCs-modified electrode, the Pt/OMCs-modified electrode displays improved current response towards hydrogen peroxide and gives linear range from 2 to 4212 μM. At an applied potential of −0.08 V, the Pt/OMCs nanocomposite gives linearity in the range of 0.5-4.5 mM glucose in neutral buffered saline solution. This glucose sensor also exhibits good ability of anti-interference to electroactive molecules. The combination the unique properties of Pt nanoparticles and the ordered mesostructure of OMCs matrix guarantees the enhanced response for hydrogen peroxide and glucose.     

Synthesis of ordered mesoporous crystalline carbon-anatase composites with high titania contents

A direct-triblock-copolymer templating method is demonstrated to synthesize ordered mesoporous crystalline C-TiO(2) (MCT) composites using phenolic resins and acid-base pairs [acidic TiCl(4) and basic counterpart Ti(OC(4)H(7))(4)] as carbon and titanium sources, respectively. The composites possess highly crystalline anatase pore walls that are "glued" by amorphous carbon, ordered mesostructure, high surface areas (approximately 200 m(2)/g), and large pore volumes (approximately 0.15 cm(3)/g). The titania content is as high as 87 wt%. MCT composite favors the immobilization of proteins and enhances the electrocatalytic properties in relation to the reduction of hydrogen peroxide.     

The effect of interfacial microstructure on the lipid oxidation stability of oil-in-water emulsions

Novel rattle-type magnetic mesoporous carbon spheres are successfully prepared using composite spheres with Fe(3)O(4) as core and mesoporous SiO(2) as shell plus solid SiO(2) as a middle layer as templates. These rattle-type spheres possess the magnetization strength of as high as 37.5 emu/g, high and tunable specific surface areas (382-512.6 m(2)/g) due to mesoporous carbon shells. This magnetic rattle-type structure and the readily accessible mesoporous shell are very favoring for the fast adsorption and release of guest objects triggered by external stimulus, for example, the spheres showed very good adsorptive property to dye.     

Ordered mesoporous silicas and carbons with large accessible pores templated from amphiphilic diblock copolymer poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polystyrene

Highly ordered mesoporous carbons and silicas with ultralarge accessible pores have been successfully synthesized by using laboratory-made poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polystyrene (PEO-b-PS) diblock copolymers as templates via the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) approach. Resols and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) serve as carbon and silica precursors, respectively. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements show that the mesoporous carbons (denoted as C-FDU-18) possess face centered cubic closed-packing (fcc) mesostructure (Fm3m) with large-domain ordering. N2 sorption isotherms reveal a large mesopore at the mean value of 22.6 nm with a narrow pore-size distribution. Mesoporous silicas (Si-FDU-18) also display a highly ordered fcc closed-packing mesostructure with an ultralarge unit cell (a = 54.6 nm). A hydrothermal recrystallization was introduced for the first time to produce micropores in thick silica walls (approximately 7.7 nm) and thus to generate ultralarge accessible mesopores (30.8 nm). Notably, the amphiphilic diblock copolymer with high molecular weight (PEO125-PS230, 29700 g mol-1) in this report was prepared via a simple method of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). It can be easily available for chemists even without any experience in polymer synthesis.