Porous Graphitic Carbons Containing Nitrogen by Structuration of Chitosan with Pluronic P123

Using Pluronic P123 as a structure-directing agent and chitosan as a carbon precursor, different porous carbons with remarkable morphologies such as orthohedra or spheres with diametrically opposite holes are obtained. These particles of micrometric size are constituted by the stacking of thin sheets (60 nm) that become increasingly bent in the opposite sense, concave in the upper and convex in the bottom hemispheres, as the chitosan proportion increases. TEM images, after dispersion of the particles by sonication, show that besides micrometric graphene sheets, the material is constituted by nanometric onion-like carbons. The morphology and structure of these porous carbons can be explained based on the ability of Pluronic P123 to undergo self-assembly in aqueous solution due to its amphoteric nature and the filmogenic properties of chitosan to coat Pluronic P123 nanoobjects undergoing structuration and becoming transformed into nitrogen-doped graphitic carbons. XPS analysis reveals the presence of nitrogen in their composition. These porous carbons exhibit a significant CO2 adsorption capacity of above 3 mmol g(-1) under 100 kPa at 273 K attributable to their large specific surface area, ultraporosity, and the presence of basic N sites. In addition, the presence of dopant elements in the graphitic carbons opening the gap is responsible for the photocatalytic activity for H-2 generation in the presence of sacrificial electron donors, reaching a H-2 production of 63 mu mol g(-1) in 24 h.

Automated summary

The combination of Pluronic P123 as a structure-directing agent and chitosan as a carbon precursor can produce porous carbons with unique morphologies and structures, exhibiting high CO2 adsorption capacity and photocatalytic hydrogen production activity. The porous carbons feature a stacked structure of thin sheets and nanometric onion-like carbons, with nitrogen-doped graphitic carbons formed due to self-assembly properties and filmogenic characteristics. The presence of nitrogen and dopant elements contributes to the enhanced performance of these materials in CO2 adsorption and photocatalytic reactions.