A direct and quantitative three-dimensional reconstruction of the internal structure of disordered mesoporous carbon with tailored pore size

Abstract

A new technique that allows direct three-dimensional ~3D! investigations of mesopores in carbon materials and quantitative characterization of their physical properties is reported. Focused ion beam nanotomography ~FIB-nt! is performed by a serial sectioning procedure with a dual beam FIB-scanning electron microscopy instrument. Mesoporous carbons ~MPCs! with tailored mesopore size are produced by carbonization of resorcinol-formaldehyde gels in the presence of a cationic surfactant as a pore stabilizer. A visual 3D morphology representation of disordered porous carbon is shown. Pore size distribution of MPCs is determined by the FIB-nt technique and nitrogen sorption isotherm methods to compare both results. The obtained MPCs exhibit pore sizes of 4.7, 7.2, and 18.3 nm, and a specific surface area of ca. 560 m2 /g.