Facile synthesis of mesoporous carbon and silica from a silica nanosphere–sucrose nanocomposite

Abstract

We report a novel and simple synthetic method for preparing mesoporous carbon from silica nanosphere–sucrose (SN–S) nanocomposites. Sucrose was used as a carbon source, as well as a templating agent for the formation of the silica mesostructure, and a transparent colloidal silica sol, including 5 or 10 nm silica nanospheres, was employed as the silica source to easily control the pore size of the mesoporous carbon. The SN–S nanocomposite, with a wormhole-like mesostructure, was readily formed by the simple addition of sucrose into the colloidal silica sol. Using the SN–S nanocomposites, mesoporous carbon and silica were simultaneously synthesized. Mesoporous carbon could be obtained by the carbonization of the SN–S nanocomposite under vacuum and removal of the mesostructured silica. The pore size and pore wall thickness of the mesoporous carbon could be readily and independently controlled by the silica nanosphere size and sucrose concentration, respectively. Moreover, mesoporous silica could be also synthesized through calcination of the SN–S nanocomposite in air, and its pore size and pore wall thickness could be easily and independently controlled by the sucrose concentration and silica nanosphere size, respectively. In this article, we report that the sucrose plays a dual simultaneous role in the SN–S nanocomposite. The first role is as a non-surfactant template for the synthesis of wormhole-like mesoporous silica, and the second role is a carbon source for synthesis of mesoporous carbon.