Characteristics of iron oxide/activated carbon nanocomposites prepared using supercritical water Original Research Article

The properties of nanocomposites obtained by depositing iron oxide nanoparticles in the pores of two types of commercial activated carbon pellets using supercritical water were studied as a function of process variables. The loading of iron oxide nanoparticles in the nanocomposites increased with precursor concentration and immersion time, but was apparently unaffected by the temperature. The specific surface area and pore volume of the nanocomposites decreased with increased loading of the nanoparticles, possibly due to pore blockage and/or pore destruction resulting from acid attack during processing. The results suggest that an optimum loading of nanoparticles in the nanocomposites can be achieved by manipulating pellet dimensions, precursor concentration, and immersion time.