Easy synthesis of an ordered mesoporous carbon with a hexagonally packed tubular structure

Ordered mesoporous carbon with hexagonal arrays of tubes (CMK-5) was successfully synthesized via a nanocasting process by directly using SBA-15, instead of AlSBA-15, as a template, furfuryl alcohol as a carbon source and oxalic acid as the catalyst. The time consuming impregnation of SBA-15 with aluminum could be saved. The as-synthesized CMK-5 exhibits a tubular structure with double pore system. The loading amount of carbon precursor on the pore walls of SBA-15 is the key factor for the formation of the CMK-5 structure with two-dimensional hexagonal arrays of tubes, and the pore diameter can be adjusted by varying the loading amount of the carbon precursor. The CMK-5 carbon exhibits high apparent surface area up to ∼2500 m2/g and high pore volume reaching ∼2 cm3/g, which is due to the unique structure of CMK-5. The characterization results confirmed that carbonization under argon atmosphere instead of vacuum is sufficient for the structural formation of CMK-5 carbons, and can be used as an alternative pathway to prepare tubular-type carbons.