Mesoporous carbon originated from non-permanent porous MOFs for gas storage and CO(2)/CH(4) separation

Four nanoporous carbons prepared by direct carbonization of non-permanent highly porous MOF [Zn(3)(BTC)(2)·(H(2)O)(3)](n) without any additional carbon precursors. The carbonization temperature plays an important role in the pore structures of the resultant carbons. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas of four carbon materials vary from 464 to 1671 m(2) g(−1) for different carbonization temperature. All the four carbon materials showed a mesoporous structure centered at ca. 3 nm, high surface area and good physicochemical stability. Hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide sorption measurements indicated that the C1000 has good gas uptake capabilities. The excess H(2) uptake at 77 K and 17.9 bar can reach 32.9 mg g(−1) and the total uptake is high to 45 mg g(−1). Meanwhile, at 95 bar, the total CH(4) uptake can reach as high as 208 mg g(−1). Moreover the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) prediction exhibited exceptionally high adsorption selectivity for CO(2)/CH(4) in an equimolar mixture at 298 K and 1 bar (S(ads) = 27) which is significantly higher than that of some porous materials in the similar condition.