Abstract
Carbon aerogels were prepared by sol-gel polymerization of phenolic novolak and furfural followed by supercritical drying and pyrolysis. The porosity and morphologies of carbon aerogels were characterized by nitrogen adsorption, apparent density, He- pycnometer method, and transmission electronic microscopy (TEM). Effect of ratios of phenolic novolak to furfural (Ra) and total concentration of reactants (C) in sol-gel step on porosity and morphologies of carbon aerogels was investigated. The carbon aerogels synthesized are rich in meso- and macropores. The Ra determines the cross-linking density of polymers, thereby the compatibility of the polymers, and ultimately the shrinkage of gels in the drying and pyrolysis. The network sizes and the porosity of organic and carbon aerogels are mainly determined by Ra. The C has no effect on volume shrinkage of gels in drying and pyrolysis and has only dilute effect in determining bulk density of organic and carbon aerogels, and ultimately the porosity of carbon aerogels. Conversion of mesopores to micro- and macropores is observed, which is related to combination of C and Ra, and determines the partition of micro-, meso- and macropores.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
G.C. Ruben, R.W. Pekala, T.M. Tillotson, and L.W. Hrubesh, J. Mater. Sci. 27, 4341 (1992).
C. Lin and J.A. Ritter, Carbon 35, 1271 (1997).
R. Kocklenberg, B. Mathieu, S. Blacher, R. Pirard, J.P. Pirard, R. Sobr, and G. Van den Bossche, J. Non-Cryst Solids 225, 8 (1998).
R. Zhang, X. Liang, L. Zhan, K. Li, C. Lu, and L. Ling, New Carbon Materials 17(4), 23 (2002).
L.L. Hench and J.K. West, Chem. Rev. 90, 33 (1990).
R. Petricevic, M. Glora, and J. Fricke, Carbon 39, 937 (2001).
M.S. Dresselhaus, Annu. Rev. Mater. Sci. 27, 1 (1997).
X. Lu, O. Nilsson, J. Fricke, and R.W. Pekala, J. Appl. Phys. 73, 581 (1993).
C. Lin, J.A. Ritter, and B.N. Popov, J. Electrochem. Soc. 146, 3155 (1999).
F.J. Maldonado-Hodar, M.A. Ferro-Garcia, J. Rivera-Utrilla, and C. Moreno-Castilla, Carbon 37, 1199 (1999).
R.W. Pekala and D.W. Schaefer, Macromolecules 26, 5487 (1993).
H. Tamon, H. Ishizaka, T. Araki, and M. Okazaki, Carbon 36, 1257 (1998).
F.S. Bates, Science 251, 898 (1991).
R.W. Pekala, U.S. Patent US 5,744,510 (1998).
R.C. Reid, J.M. Prausnitz, and B.E. Poling, The Properties of Gases and Liquids, 4th ed. (McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1987), p. 97.
D. Dollimore and G.R. Heal, J. Appl. Chem., 14 March, 109 (1964).
P.J.M. Carrott, R.A. Roberts, and K.S.W. Sing, Carbon 25, 769 (1987).
H. Tamon and H. Ishizaka, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 206, 577 (1998).
A. Keller, Faraday Discuss. 101, 1 (1995).
K. Kaneko, K. Murata, H. Tanaka, T. Ohba, M. Yudasaka, and S. Iijima, Adsorption Mechanism of Hydrogen and Methane on Single Wall Carbon Nanohorns. The 2002 International Conference on Carbon, 15-20 Sept. 2002, Beijing, China, p. 87.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhang, R., Lü, Y., Meng, Q. et al. On Porosity of Carbon Aerogels from Sol-Gel Polymerization of Phenolic Novolak and Furfural. Journal of Porous Materials 10, 57–68 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024022230868
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024022230868