Nitrogen-enriched carbonaceous materials with hierarchical micro-mesopore structures for efficient CO2 capture

Carboxyl-rich porous carbons (CPCs) derived from glucose are prepared by a hydrothermal method in the presence of acrylic acid and non-ionic surfactant Brij 72 as structure-directing agents. Tetraethylenepentamine molecules are then grafted onto the surfaces of CPCs via acylation-amidation route, yielding nitrogen-enriched porous carbons (NPCs). Material characterizations reveal that the CPCs display high surface areas with micro and mesoporous structures. Despite the surface functionalization of CPCs via acylation-amidation route the porous structures of NPCs are maintained. As a result, the NPCs exhibit excellent CO2 capture capacity (3.2 mmol g(-1)) with high selectivity of CO2 over N-2 (>46) at 298 K and 1 bar. In addition, good reversibility of CO2 adsorption can be achieved at different temperatures. (c) 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V.