Surface activation of a polymer based carbon Original Research Article

A highly mesoporous carbon was synthesized by the conventional sol–gel method involving the polymerization of resorcinol and formaldehyde followed by carbonization. Oxygen activation was employed to modify the surface properties of the polymer based carbon material. The textural properties (surface area, micropore volume) were evaluated from the nitrogen adsorption isotherm at 77 K. The samples were also characterized by XPS, TGA and by elemental analysis. The pHPZC of the oxidized carbon was also determined. The amounts of oxygen surface complexes generated were quantitatively determined using temperature programmed desorption analysis (TPD). The oxidation treatment was found to be quite effective in the generation of oxygen rich surfaces at moderate burn off.