Activated Carbon Aerogels

Abstract

Activated carbon aerogels were obtained from the CO2 activation of carbon aerogels. The adsorption isotherms of nitrogen on activated carbon aerogels at 77 K were measured and analyzed by the high-resolution αS plot to evaluate their porosities. The αS plot showed an upward deviation from linearity below αS = 0.5, suggesting that the presence of micropores becomes more predominant with the extent of the activation. Activation increased noticeably the pore volume and the surface area (the maximum value: 2600 m2·g-1) without change of the basic network structure of primary particles. Activated carbon aerogels had a bimodal pore size distribution of uniform micropores and mesopores.