Adsorption and textural properties of porous composites obtained by carbon deposition on the surface of an SBA-15 mineral mesophase

The formation of a carbon coating at the surface of an SBA-15 mineral mesophase was studied. Pore channels in the original mineral mesophase are arranged in a hexagonal manner (pore diameter 8.3 nm, unit cell parameter 13.3 nm). Propene and dichloroethane were used as carbon precursors. Below 900 K, carbon was found to form separate clusters at the mesophase surface. The amount of deposited carbon sharply increases at T > 900 K, thus substantially reducing (at 973 K) the average size and volume of mesopores. When the contact time is extended to four hours or more, carbon deposition decelerates sharply. The carbonization intensity proved to be virtually independent of the nature of the carbon precursor.