Ordered Carbohydrate-Derived Porous Carbons

The synthesis of ordered porous carbonaceous materials via a direct sustainable hydrothermal carbonization (HTC)/soft templating approach is presented. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images demonstrate the long-range regularly ordered pore structure. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the F127/HTC composite presented a significant mass loss regime at approx 400°C followed by a smaller secondary charing step at approx 600°C. Examination of pore structuring via HRTEM images indicated maintenance of the well=ordered pore structuring upon addition of the pore swelling agent, with a pore diameter and wall thickness of 5 and 10 nm. A bimodal pore size distribution is generated with a new mesopore diameter maximum at 4.0 nm and a discrete micropore peak at 1.0 nm. The growth of carbonaceous crystals is presumably determined by the rate of hexose dehydration and subsequent polymerization reactions. Interactions between HMF and the PEO segments of the F127 template favor the growth of these near-perfect single crystalline carbonaceous structures.