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A Direct and Quantitative Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of the Internal Structure of Disordered Mesoporous Carbon with Tailored Pore Size

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2013

Juan Balach ,
Flavio Soldera ,
Diego F. Acevedo ,
Frank Mücklich  and
César A. Barbero
Juan Balach
Affiliation:
Programa de Nanomateriales y Mesomateriales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Agencia Postal No 3, 5800 Río Cuarto, Argentina
Flavio Soldera
Affiliation:
Department Materials Science, Saarland University, Campus D3.3, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
Diego F. Acevedo
Affiliation:
Programa de Nanomateriales y Mesomateriales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Agencia Postal No 3, 5800 Río Cuarto, Argentina
Frank Mücklich
Affiliation:
Department Materials Science, Saarland University, Campus D3.3, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
César A. Barbero*
Affiliation:
Programa de Nanomateriales y Mesomateriales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Agencia Postal No 3, 5800 Río Cuarto, Argentina
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: cbarbero@exa.unrc.edu.ar
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Abstract

A new technique that allows direct three-dimensional (3D) investigations of mesopores in carbon materials and quantitative characterization of their physical properties is reported. Focused ion beam nanotomography (FIB-nt) is performed by a serial sectioning procedure with a dual beam FIB-scanning electron microscopy instrument. Mesoporous carbons (MPCs) with tailored mesopore size are produced by carbonization of resorcinol-formaldehyde gels in the presence of a cationic surfactant as a pore stabilizer. A visual 3D morphology representation of disordered porous carbon is shown. Pore size distribution of MPCs is determined by the FIB-nt technique and nitrogen sorption isotherm methods to compare both results. The obtained MPCs exhibit pore sizes of 4.7, 7.2, and 18.3 nm, and a specific surface area of ca. 560 m2/g.

Keywords

focused ion beam (FIB)nanotomographymesoporous carbonimage analysispore size distribution
Type
Equipment and Techniques Development: Materials
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 19 , Issue 3 , June 2013 , pp. 745 - 750
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2013 

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