title: Preparation, microstructure and hydrogen sorption properties of nanoporous carbon aerogels under ambient drying.
abstract: Organic aerogels are prepared by the sol-gel method from polymerization of resorcinol with furfural. These aerogels are further carbonized in nitrogen in order to obtain their corresponding carbon aerogels (CA); a sample which was carbonized at 900 °C was also activated in a carbon dioxide atmosphere at 900 °C. The chemical reaction mechanism and optimum synthesis conditions are investigated by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermoanalyses (thermogravimetric/differential thermal analyses) with a focus on the sol-gel process. The carbon aerogels were investigated with respect to their microstructures, using small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nitrogen adsorption measurements at 77 K. SAXS studies showed that micropores with a radius of gyration of <0.35 ± 0.07 to 0.55 ± 0.05 nm were present, and TEM measurements and nitrogen adsorption showed that larger mesopores were also present. Hydrogen storage properties of the CA were also investigated. An activated sample with a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 1539 ± 20 m(2) g(-1) displayed a reasonably high hydrogen uptake at 77 K with a maximum hydrogen sorption of 3.6 wt% at 2.5 MPa. These results suggest that CA are promising candidate hydrogen storage materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging and Applied Physics, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U 1987, Perth 6845, WA, Australia. CSIRO National Hydrogen Materials Alliance, CSIRO Energy Centre, 10 Murray Dwyer Circuit, Steel River Estate, Mayfield West, NSW 2304, Australia.
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Buckley
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mulè
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paskevicius
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Dhal