Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effect of anion species on preparation and properties of pitch-based activated carbon fibers by in-situ catalytic activation of metal nanoparticles

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Carbon Letters Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The pitch-based activated carbon fibers (ACFs) were prepared from ethylene tar-derived pitches containing nickelocene (CNi) or nickel nitrate (NiN). The effects of different anions and contents of metal salts on the microstructure and surface chemical properties of fibers were investigated. The results revealed that Ni2+ from CNi mainly remained its pristine molecule in the organometal salt-derived pitch (OP-xCNi), while Ni2+ from NiN occurred complexation reaction with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the inorganic metal salt-derived pitch (IP-xNiN) due to the weaker binding ability between anions and Ni2+ of CNi than CNi. The XRD and SEM results confirmed that IP-3NiN-ACF contained Ni, NiO, Ni2O3 nanoparticles with different size distributions, while OP-3CNi-ACF only contained more uniformly distributed Ni nanoparticles with small size. Furthermore, OP-3.0CNi-ACF presented higher specific surface area of 1862 m2/g and a pore volume of 1.69 cm3/g than those of IP-3.0NiN-ACF due to the formation of pore structure during the in-situ catalytic activation of different metal nanoparticles. Therefore, this work further pointed out that the desired pore structure and surface chemistry of pitch-based ACFs could be obtained through regulating and controlling the interaction of anion species, metal cations and PAHs during the synthesis of pitch precursors.

Graphical abstract

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hassan MF, Sabri MA, Fazal H et al (2020) Recent trends in activated carbon fibers production from various precursors and applications-A comparative review. J Anal Appl Pyrol 145:104715

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Suzuki M (1994) Activated carbon fiber: fundamentals and applications. Carbon 32(4):577–586

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Banerjee C, Chandaliya VK, Dash PS (2021) Recent advancement in coal tar pitch-based carbon fiber precursor development and fiber manufacturing process. J Anal Appl Pyrol 158:105272

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Deng Z, Hu J, Li HL (2020) Sisal xylem fibre-based activated carbon fibres for fuel adsorption: effect of thermal stabilization of diammonium phosphate. Royal Society Open Science 7(9):200966

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Zhang XW, Meng YC, Fan BL et al (2019) Preparation of mesophase pitch from refined coal tar pitch using naphthalene-based mesophase pitch as nucleating agent. Fuel 243:390–397

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Cao S, Yang JX, Li J et al (2019) Preparation of oxygen-rich hierarchical porous carbon for supercapacitors through the co-carbonization of pitch and biomass. Diam Relat Mater 96:118–125

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Liu Y, Lu YX, Xu YS et al (2020) Pitch-derived soft carbon as stable anode material for potassium ion batteries. Adv Mater 32(17):2000505

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Peng L, Chen YP, Dong H et al (2015) Removal of trace As(V) from water with the titanium dioxide/ACF composite electrode. Water Air Soil Pollut 226(7):203

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Basova YV, Edie DD, Lee YS et al (2004) Effect of precursor composition on the activation of pitch-based carbon fibers. Carbon 42(3):485–495

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Juan AM, Agustín BL, Ángeles LR et al (2008) NO adsorption on activated carbon fibers from iron-containing pitch. Micoporous Mesoporous Mater 108(1–3):294–302

    Google Scholar 

  11. Hong I, Jiang HC, Park YD et al (2002) Metal dispersed activated carbon fibers and their application for removal of SOx. Chem Phys Lett 366(5–6):572–577

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Basova YV, Edie DD, Badheka PY (2005) The effect of precursor chemistry and preparation conditions on the formation of pore structure in metal-containing carbon fibers. Carbon 43(7):1533–1545

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Wei WJ, Wang F, Yang JX et al (2021) A superior potassium-ion anode material from pitch-based activated carbon fibers with hierarchical pore structure prepared by metal catalytic activation. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 13(5):6557–6565

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Choo H, Isaacs SR, Small A et al (2007) Chemical and heating treatments of ionic monolayer-protected clusters (IMPCs) with different surface counter anions. J Colloid Interface Sci 316(1):66–71

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Dai ZJ, Wang L, Ye FP et al (2014) Influence of anion species on the morphology of solvothermal synthesized LiMn0.9Fe0.1PO4. Electrochim Acta 134:13–17

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Yuvaraj S, Lin FY, Chang TH et al (2003) Thermal decomposition of metal nitrates in air and hydrogen environments. J Phys Chem B 107(4):1044–1047

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Laurent B, Riadh S, Claude M et al (2000) Investigation of nickelocene decomposition during chemical vapor deposition of nickel. J Electrochem Soc 147(4):1443–1448

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Zhao Y, Fang F, Xiao HM et al (2015) Preparation of pore-size controllable activated carbon fibers from bamboo fibers with superior performance for xenon storage. Chem Eng J 270:528–534

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Shimodaira N, Masui A (2002) Raman spectroscopic investigations of activated carbon materials. J Appl Phys 92:902–909

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Edie DD, Dunham MG (1989) Melt spinning pitch-based carbon fibers. Carbon 27(5):647–655

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Bahrami SH, Bajaj P, Sen K (2003) Thermal behavior of acrylonitrile carboxylic acid copolymers. J Appl Polym Sci 88(3):685–698

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Jin SY, Kim MH, Jeong YG et al (2017) Effect of alkaline hydrolysis on cyclization reaction of PAN nanofibers. Mater Des 124:69–77

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Peng YS, Tan RX, Liu Y et al (2021) Mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers: accelerated stabilization of pitch fibers under effective plasma irradiation-assisted modification. Materials 14(21):6382

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Kruk M, Jaroniec M, Gadkaree KP (1997) Nitrogen adsorption studies of novel synthetic active carbons. J Colloid Interface Sci 192(1):250–256

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Sing K (2001) The use of nitrogen adsorption for the characterisation of porous materials. Colloids Surf, A 187–189:3–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Wang J, Ma QQ, Wang YQ et al (2018) New insights into the structure–performance relationships of mesoporous materials in analytical science. Chem Soc Rev 47(23):8766–8803

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Yardim MF, Ekinci E, Bartle KD (2001) Pitch precursor-origin and chemical constitution. Nato Sci Series E: Appl Sci 374:125–134

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research is funded by the National Natural Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China (Grant No. 51702094) and the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China (Grant No. 2020JJ4203 and 2019JJ50651).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hunan Province Key Laboratory for Advanced Carbon Materials and Applied Technology, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China

    Genchang Gou, Wenjie Wei, Jianxiao Yang, Jiahao Liu, Yue Liu & Kui Shi

  2. School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, 410114, China

    Jun Li

Authors
  1. Genchang Gou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wenjie Wei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jianxiao Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jiahao Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yue Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jun Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Kui Shi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jianxiao Yang.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gou, G., Wei, W., Yang, J. et al. Effect of anion species on preparation and properties of pitch-based activated carbon fibers by in-situ catalytic activation of metal nanoparticles. Carbon Lett. 32, 1507–1518 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42823-022-00375-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42823-022-00375-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation