Synthetic carbons activated with phosphoric acid: II. Porous structure Original Research Article

Synthetic activated carbons were prepared by H3PO4 activation of a chloromethylated and sulfonated copolymer of styrene and divinylbenzene, using an impregnation weight ratio of 0.75 and carbonization temperatures in the 400–1000 °C range. Other impregnation ratios (0.93 and 1.11) were also used at a carbonization temperature of 800 °C. The porous texture of the resulting carbons was characterized by N2 adsorption at −196 °C and CO2 adsorption at 0 °C. All carbons exhibited a multimodal pore size distribution with maxima in the micropore and meso/macropore regions. Maxima in pore volume were attained at 900 °C for micropores and at 500 and 900 °C for mesopores. The mesopore volume was less sensitive than the micropore volume to changes in the impregnation ratio. It is concluded that the porous texture is not a prime factor in determining the outstanding cation exchange capacities of these carbons.