Surface chemistry of polyacrylonitrile- and rayon-based activated carbon fibers after post-heat treatment

Polyacrylonitrile- and rayon-based activated carbon fibers (ACFs) subject to heat treatment were investigated by means of elemental analyzer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The total ash content of all ACFs was also analyzed. The adsorption of benzene, carbon tetrachloride and water vapor on ACFs was determined to shed light on the role of surface chemistry on gas adsorption. Results show that different precursors resulted in various elemental compositions and imposed diverse influence upon surface functionalities after heat treatment. The surface of heat-treated ACFs became more graphitic and hydrophobic. Three distinct peaks due to C, N, and O atoms were identified by XPS, and the high-resolution revealed the existence of several surface functionalities. The presence of nitride-like species, aromatic N-imines, or chemisorbed nitrogen oxides was found to be of great advantage to adsorption of water vapor or benzene, but the pyridine-N was not. Unstable complexes on the surface would hinder the fibers from adsorption of carbon tetrachloride. The rise in total ash content or hydrogen composition was of benefit to the access of water vapor. Modifications of ACFs by heat treatment have effectively improved adsorption performance.