Facile Synthesis of Nitrogen - Containing Carbon by Carbonization of Furfural in Deep Eutectic Mixtures

Abstract

Amorphous nitrogen-containing carbon was successfully prepared by carbonization of furfural in a deep eutectic mixture of urea and choline chloride. Primary amine groups were able to be anchored to the carbon in a one-pot solvothermal carbonization procedure. XPS analysis showed that nitrogen predominantly bound within the solid as well as at the surface. An abundance of functional groups on the surface of the carbon during the carbonization process generated large, graphite-like interlayer spaces. N-doped carbon exhibits reactive surfaces because nitrogen can easily be further modified through the grafting of other chemical groups. The carbon obtained by this innovative approach may be a good matrix for solid phase extraction because of its narrow pore size.