Energy-Efficient Templating Method for the Industrial Production of Porous Carbon Particles by a Spray Pyrolysis Process Using Poly(methyl methacrylate)

Abstract

Template selection is a critical step to determining an effective and efficient method for the synthesis of porous materials. We introduce the use of the low-cost poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as a template in a spray pyrolysis process for the synthesis of a porous carbon particle. Monodisperse, negatively charged, three sizes of PMMA particles are used to evaluate the porous structure formation. The highest surface area of the prepared porous carbon particle is 172 m 2 /g, which is double that of carbon particles produced using a polystyrene latex (PSL) template. The high surface area is attributed to the low PMMA decomposition residue and the formation of a micropore and a mesopore. The use of PMMA reduces the energy consumption for template decomposition by 32% compared with PSL. This benefit suggests an excellent potential for the use of PMMA in the scaled-up production of porous materials.

Cellulose Nanofiber and Magnetic Nanoparticles as Building Blocks Constructing Biomass-Based Porous Structured Particles and Their Protein Adsorption Performance

“…A strong repulsive interaction successfully acted between PMMA and the highly negatively charged TOCNs (ζ = −66 mV), and they were individually distributed in the droplet. Most of the TOCNs then filled the voids between the closed packed structure of PMMA as water evaporated. , As a result, the PMMA template particles were homogeneously distributed in the TOCN network of the compact dried composite particles. Subsequently, the PMMA particles could be simply removed through an etching process using toluene to form macroporous structured particles with a pore size of 445 nm and TOCN as the building block component (Figure f).…”

Synthesis of High Specific Surface Area Macroporous Pectin Particles by Template-Assisted Spray Drying

“…To avoid the thermal decomposition of the natural polymer, which occurs at high temperatures during the synthesis of porous particles, we applied a template-assisted spray-drying method in combination with a chemical etching process. The template-assisted spray-drying method is a well-established strategy for producing various nanostructured particles, including macroporous particles. − This method typically involves two main processes, including (i) the formation of composite particles consisting of host components and templates and (ii) the production of nanostructured particles by removing the templates from the prepared composite particles . The morphology of the obtained particles is highly ordered and controllable because it depends on the initial precursor component, droplet properties, and parameter conditions.…”

“…In this research, owing to their numerous attractive features, poly­(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) of various particle sizes were used as templates to investigate the formation of porous structures. PMMA has a relatively low decomposition temperature and can be dispersed homogeneously in solution; , CaCO 3 is advantageous because it can easily be removed using weak acids, which ultimately lessens the environmental impact . Moreover, PMMA and CaCO 3 are cost-effective, meaning that this method could be profitable for large-scale industrial development.…”

Controllable Synthesis of Carbon-Coated SiOx Particles through a Simultaneous Reaction between the Hydrolysis–Condensation of Tetramethyl Orthosilicate and the Polymerization of 3-Aminophenol

“…Nanostructured materials have been considered to be a next-generation material for energy and environmental applications to achieve enhanced performance and new functionality. − Among the nanostructured particles, core–shell particles have recently received considerable attention as highly functional materials because of their unique and fascinating properties. − These excellent properties make them good candidates for use in a broad range of potential applications, including catalysis, drug delivery, magnetic imaging, optical devices, sensing, water splitting, and energy storage. − Although many methods have been developed for the preparation of core–shell particles, the synthesis of core–shell particles with well-controlled morphologies and structures is still a great challenge.…”