Template synthesis of ordered mesoporous carbon with polypyrrole as carbon precursor

A new and facile synthetic route of ordered mesoporous carbon with polypyrrole as carbon precursor has been developed. The mesoporous silica host is first impregnated with ferric chloride, which serves as the oxidant for the vapor-phase oxidative polymerization of pyrrole vapor at room temperature. Such a stoichiometric reaction provides a rational control of loading with polypyrrole and also determines the amount of carbon after subsequent pyrolysis in the host silica. Ordered mesoporous carbon is obtained after the dissolution of silica and iron species. The materials thus prepared have ordered structure, large surface area, and pore volume. They are ordered on the mesoscopic scale and show some graphitic order on the atomic scale.