KAGAKU KOGAKU RONBUNSHU, Vol.37, No.2, 110-113, 2011
Synthesis of Macroporous Carbon Foam from O/W Emulsion Prepared by Ultrasonic Emulsification
A macroporous carbon foam (MCF) possessing numerous interconnected macropores (pore diameter >50 nm) was synthesized using an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion, which was prepared by direct irradiation with ultrasound, as a template to form the macropores. In this method, a resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) solution, cyclohexane and a nonionic surfactant were used as an aqueous phase, an oil phase and an emulsifier, respectively. To synthesize macroporous materials based on the emulsion templating method, ultrasonic emulsification was confirmed to be a process intensification method from the viewpoint of the capability of preparing an O/W emulsion with a smaller droplet size than by mechanical mixing. As a result, it was possible to obtain a MCF with small macropore diameter ranging from submicron to several microns. The sizes of both macropores and mesopores (2 nm