Surface properties of carbons obtained from hexachlorobenzene and hexachloroethane by combustion synthesis

The paper describes the combustion synthesis of carbon materials from hexachloroethane (C2Cl6), hexachlorobenzene (C6Cl6), and a mixture of these compounds. The chemical composition (elemental analysis), structural composition (XRD, Raman spectroscopy), microstructure (SEM), surface physicochemical properties (low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, XPS, FTIR) and electrochemical behavior (cyclic voltammetry) of the solid reaction products were investigated. Their unique structural and surface properties depend on the chemical composition of the starting compounds. The properties of the carbon samples tested are much like those of carbon black, but the material from hexachloroethane exhibits the most distinctly amorphous features. In contrast, the adsorptive properties (porous structure) of the sample obtained from hexachlorobenzene tend to resemble those of activated carbon. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.