Characterization of macroporous carbon-cryostructured particle gel, an adsorbent for small organic molecules

Preparation of a new type of cryostructured carbon particle macroporous gel with one-step sub-zero cross-linking was studied in this work. Aggregation of nano- and micro-particles of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-allylamine) was used to form a polymeric network to integrate activated carbon particles. The cryostructured particle gel was compared with the conventional composite cryogel. The unique macroporous structure of the gel in combination with retained porosity of the carbon particles makes it suitable in separation and environmental applications. The adsorption isotherm of phenol was studied and the advantages of cryostructured particle gel over conventional composite structures were compared in this study. The developed new gels were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, mercury porosimetry and texture analysis.