Control over Porosity using Isoreticular Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (IRZIFs) as Template for Porous Carbon Synthesis

Herein, using Isoreticular Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (IRZIFs) as template, we report the synthesis, morphology and gas adsorption properties of porous carbon synthesized by nanocasting method at 1000 C, where furfuryl alcohol (FA) has been used as a carbon source. Using IRZIFs with variable porosity as templates, we could achieve the control over carbon porosity, H2 and CO2 uptake. The resultant microporous carbon C-70 synthesized using ZIF-70 as template is most porous (BET surface area 1510 m/g); C-68 synthesized using ZIF-68 has moderate porosity (BET surface area 1311 m/g); whereas C-69 synthesized using ZIF-69 is having lowest porosity in this series (BET surface area 1171 m/g). The porous carbons C-70, C-68 and C-69 with graphitic texture have the promising H2 uptake capacity (77 K and 1 atm) of 2.37, 2.15 and 1.96 wt %, respectively. Also these carbons reported shows CO2 uptake capacity’s (273 K and 1 atm) of 5.45, 4.98 and 4.54 mmol/g for C-70, C-68 and C-69 respectively. The gas uptake trends shown by C-70, C-68 and C-69 clearly indicates dependence of carbon porosity on the host template. Moreover, carbons synthesized C-70, C-68 and C-69 shows variable conductivity.