• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.89-95
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• 2012

Spherical mesoporous silica particles, of which main pore diameter was 3.8 nm, were successfully prepared by spray pyrolysis from aqueous silicic acid. The effect of precursor concentration, reaction temperature, and the addition of urea and PEG on the particle diameter and pore properties such as pore diameter, total pore volume, and specific surface area were investigated by using FE-SEM, particle size analyzer, and nitrogen absorption-desorption analysis. With an increase of the precursor concentration from 0.2 M to 0.7 M, the average particle diameter, total pore volume, and specific surface area of the porous silica particles increased from 0.56 to $0.96\;{\mu}m$, 0.434 to $0.486\;cm^3/g$, 467.8 to $610.4\;m^2/g$, respectively. Within the temperature range $(600\;^{\circ}C{\sim}800\;^{\circ}C)$, there was no significant difference in the pore diameter, total pore volume, and specific surface area. In addition, the addition of urea as an expansion aid led to slight increases in particle diameter, pore diameter, and specific surface area. However, when the polyethylene glycol (PEG) as an organic template was used, the total pore volume of porous particles increased dramatically.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.71-77
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• 2022

To increase biomass utilization, rice husk-based activated carbon (RHAC) followed by nitrogen plasma surface treatment was prepared and the electric double-layer capacitor performance was investigated. Through nitrogen plasma surface treatment, up to 2.17% of nitrogen was introduced to the surface of RHAC, and in particular the sample reacted for 5 min with nitrogen plasma showed dominant formation of pyrrolic/pyridine N functional groups. In addition, mesopores were formed on the RHAC material by the removal of silica, and the surface roughness of the carbon material increased by nitrogen plasma surface treatment, resulting in the formation of many micropores. As a result of cyclic voltammetry measurement, at a scan rate of 5 mV/s, the specific capacitance of the RHAC treated with nitrogen plasma increased up to 200 F/g, showing an 80.2% improvement compared to that of using untreated RHAC (111 F/g). This is attributed to the synergetic effect of the introduction of pyrrolic/pyridine-based nitrogen functional groups and the increase of the micropore volume on the surface of the carbon material. This study has a positive effect on the environment in terms of recycling waste resources and using plasma surface treatment.