Preparation of mesophase pitch based mesoporous carbons using an imprinting method

Mesoporous carbons (MCs) were prepared by an imprinting method, using mesophase pitch and nanometer colloidal silica solution as carbon precursors and pore generators, respectively. The effects of the type of mesophase pitch, the imprinting temperature, and the silica content on the porous properties of MCs were investigated. It was found that the pore size distributions of MCs were similar irrespective of the imprinting temperature and the amount of silica used owing to an imprinting mechanism. The mesopore volume of MCs increased with an increasing amount of silica. There existed an appropriate imprinting temperature slightly higher than the softening point of the mesophase pitch used. An easy imprinting was found for naphthalene based mesophase pitch with a low softening point and fine average particle size as compared with coal based mesophase pitch. Mesoporous carbons were provided with a specific surface area and a total pore volume of 482 m2/g and 1.62 cm3/g, respectively.