Preparation of mesoporous activated carbon fibers by catalytic gasification

A commercial activated carbon fiber with micropores, CH700-20 (Kuraray), was reformed to a mesoporous one by catalytic gasification. The catalytic gasification was composed of two steps: CO2 pretreatment and air oxidation. Cobalt was used as the catalyst and gasification was performed in the temperature range of 500-700 degrees C. BET surface area and pore volume of catalytically modified carbon fiber were analyzed by N-2 adsorption. BET surface area of the original CH700-20 was 1,711 m(2)/g, and the mesopore volume percentage was 11.9%. After catalytic gasification, BET surface area was similar to the original CH700-20, while mesopore volume percentage increased up to 56%. The average pore size of mesopores was 3-4 nm in diameter. The average size of mesopores could be controlled with nanometer resolution by varying the temperature and time of activation.