One-pot synthesis of Fe, Co and Ni-doped carbon xerogels and their magnetic properties Original Research Article

Transition metal (Fe, Co and Ni)-doped carbon xerogels were synthesized by a facile one-pot pyrolysis of the sol–gel polymer of resorcinol and formaldehyde in the presence of the corresponding metal nitrates. N2 adsorption–desorption, scanning and transmission electron microscopy proved that addition of different metals could exert a remarkable influence on the textural properties. From X-ray diffraction the phases of the metallic species were identified. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that the surface morphologies of resultant metal-carbon xerogels were composed of carbon microspheres with diameters from 5 to 15 µm. Transmission electron microscopy observations illustrated that Ni-carbon xerogel was made of uniform carbon nanotubes which differed from the approximative core/shell structures of Fe- and Co-carbon xerogels. Measurements on magnetic properties indicated that the Fe-, Co-, and Ni-carbon xerogels exhibited typical ferromagnetic characteristics at room temperature.