Assessing the contribution of micropores and mesopores from nitrogen adsorption on nanoporous carbons: Application to pore size analysis

Abstract Adsorption isotherms in micropores and mesopores are assessed from nitrogen adsorption isotherm measured on micro-mesoporous carbons and used to determine the micropore and mesopore size distributions. These carbons were obtained by self-assembly of phloroglucinol and formaldehyde in the presence of poly(ethylene oxide)–poly(propylene oxide) – poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer (Pluronic F127) as a soft-template under acidic conditions and subjected to KOH activation. The template used afforded carbons with ordered cylindrical mesopores, while KOH activation enlarged their microporosity. The proposed method allows for the assessment of contributions arising from adsorption in micropores and mesopores, which can be beneficial for further development of pore size analysis of micro-mesoporous carbons.