title: Pyrolysis of cellulose under ammonia leads to nitrogen-doped nanoporous carbon generated through methane formation.
abstract: Here, we present a simple one-step fabrication methodology for nitrogen-doped (N-doped) nanoporous carbon membranes via annealing cellulose filter paper under NH3. We found that nitrogen doping (up to 10.3 at %) occurs during cellulose pyrolysis under NH3 at as low as 550 °C. At 700 °C or above, N-doped carbon further reacts with NH3, resulting in a large surface area (up to 1973.3 m(2)/g). We discovered that the doped nitrogen, in fact, plays an important role in the reaction, leading to carbon gasification. CH4 was experimentally detected by mass spectrometry as a product in the reaction between N-doped carbon and NH3. When compared to conventional activated carbon (1533.6 m(2)/g), the N-doped nanoporous carbon (1326.5 m(2)/g) exhibits more than double the unit area capacitance (90 vs 41 mF/m(2)).
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University , Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Bao
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Christopher G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Heron
authors.forename: Marshall J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morre
authors.forename: Claudia S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Stickle
authors.forename: Xiulei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ji
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000737:chemistry*; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008697:Methane / Q000737:chemistry*; D058608:Nanopores / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon; D000641:Ammonia; D002482:Cellulose; D009584:Nitrogen; D008697:Methane