Small-angle x-ray scattering in a carbon-sulfur nanocomposite produced from bulk nanoporous carbon

A new nanocomposite material containing approximately 50 vol % S is prepared by filling pores of bulk nanoporous carbon samples with sulfur. The initial nanoporous carbon samples are synthesized from polycrystalline α-SiC through the chemical reaction. A comparative investigation of small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) is performed for the prepared nanocomposite and the initial material. The possible changes in the scattering power of the initial material upon filling of its pores with sulfur are considered in the framework of a simple model. The regularities revealed are used to interpret the experimentally observed changes in the scattering power. The size distribution functions of incorporated sulfur nanoclusters in the nanocomposite (or filled nanopores in the initial material) are determined within the Guinier approximation. It is demonstrated that the smallest sized pores (8–16 Å) remain unfilled, whereas the filling factor for larger sized pores can reach several ten percent by volume. The conditions favorable for small-angle x-ray scattering upon filling of the nanopores are analyzed.