Synthesis of perfectly ordered mesoporous carbons by water-assisted mechanochemical self-assembly of tannin

Abstract

A simple, green, one-pot mechanosynthesis method for preparing perfectly ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) by ball-milling is presented herein. Mimosa tannin (T) and Pluronic® F127 (P) are used as the carbon precursor and as the mesopore-directing agent, respectively. Water (W) is used to promote micelle formation and also the interaction between T and P; no crosslinker is used and drying or curing steps before carbonization are not needed either. The experimental conditions, such as the milling time, the pH of added W and the P : W ratio are optimized to obtain perfect 2D hexagonal OMCs with BET areas as high as 588 m² g⁻¹ after carbonization at 900 °C. Carbonization temperatures up to 1500 °C or activation allow further increasing the surface area, up to ∼1900 m² g⁻¹, while maintaining the ordered mesoporous structure. These materials should find relevant applications in environmental remediation strategies for oil spills, in selective CO₂ adsorption from humid gases or as electrodes of supercapacitors.