Aminated hydrophilic ordered mesoporous carbons

This paper describes a single step procedure by which primary amine groups are anchored onto ordered mesoporous carbon in a one step reaction. Ordered carbon materials with functional groups residing at the pore surface are prepared using SBA-15 silica as template in combination with hydrothermal carbonisation at mild temperatures (180 °C). These functional groups are afterwards reacted with 3-chloropropylamine leading to amino-modified hexagonally ordered carbons. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments proved that the resulting carbon materials exhibit hexagonal frameworks. Nitrogen adsorption revealed that the materials are micropore free, possessing narrow mesopores size distributions and high surface areas. The surface functionality and hydrophilicity of the carbonaceous materials were assessed by Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron analysis (XPS) and water porosimetry. The presence of accessible amino groups in considerable amounts was proved by elemental microanalysis, FTIR spectroscopy and thermogravimetrical analysis.