New carbons with controlled nanoporosity obtained by nanocasting using a SBA-15 mesoporous silica host matrix and different preparation routes Original Research Article

An ordered mesoporous silica matrix (SBA-15) was infiltrated with carbon using either a liquid or a gas route with various carbon precursors (sucrose, petroleum pitch and propylene). The resulting SiO2/C materials were then chemically treated to dissolve selectively the silica matrix and lead to ordered mesoporous carbon replicas. The influence of the precursors on the physico-chemical properties of the SiO2/C composites and the carbon replicas were studied by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption measurements, scanning and transmission electron microscopies. It was shown that the content, the route for introducing the carbon into the host matrix, the microporosity and the mesopores order of the carbon replicas are determined by the choice of the precursors. The thermal evolution of the carbon replicas is also studied.