Activated carbons synthesized from sucrose using porous clay heterostructures as template for CO2 adsorption

In this work we have analyzed the synthesis of microporous materials using sucrose as carbon source and porous clay heterostructures as template to promote a hierarchical organization of pores, which is a novelty in the synthesis of carbonaceous materials. The study comprises the evaluation of the synthesis conditions such as the addition of a base (KOH) or the variation of the pyrolysis temperature (600, 750 and 900 degrees C). The studied materials were characterized via X ray diffraction, Transmission Electron Microscopy, gas adsorption, Attenuated Total Reflectance, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Additionally, the performance of the synthesized adsorbents in terms of CO2 uptake at three temperatures (0, 25 and 45 degrees C) was assessed and compared with similar materials reported in the literature. The results suggested by and large that the use of the base and the highest pyrolysis temperature (900 degrees C) during the synthesis enhances the CO2 adsorption at the different evaluated temperatures. Nonetheless, it is at the lowest pyrolysis temperature i.e., 600 degrees C, where one can observe a more accentuated superior performance of the material synthesized with base than that obtained without the addition of KOH.