Preparation of mesoporous carbons using acid- and alkali-treated zeolite X as the template

Mesoporous carbons were synthesized by using acid- and alkali-treated zeolite X as the template through vapor-deposition polymerization (VDP). The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption–desorption, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and adsorption of methylene blue (MB). Zeolite X treated with alkali had increases of both the mesopore volume and the surface area, while that treated with acid only had a small increase of the surface area. The resulting carbons prepared at a VDP temperature of 130 °C for 2 h by using alkali- and acid-treated zeolite X as the template had surface areas of 936 and 764 m2 g−1, and mesopore volumes of 1.52 and 1.12 cm3 g−1, respectively. Both of the surface areas and the mesopore volumes of the carbons decreased with the increase or prolongation of the VDP temperature. The carbons showed high equilibrium adsorption amounts of MB with the highest value of 360 mg g−1.