Disclosing the Effect of Activation on the Micro- and Meso-structure of Activated Carbons with SANS and Gas Sorption
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Tuning the performance of a porous material is a major leap towards more efficient use and reduced production costs. The performance of activated carbons (ACs) in applications such as catalysis, energy storage, and environmental remediation is closely linked to their micro- and meso-structure, side to their surface chemistry. However, their intrinsic disorder and large panel of possible synthetic treatments bring to a complex structure that standard analysis technique only are not capable to depict entirely. To access a complete understanding of such a complex pore architecture, we coupled standard gas physisorption (N 2 at 77 K, Ar at 87 K and CO 2 at 273 K), with Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) to investigate five ACs obtained from different precursors and activation methods. By integrating gas physisorption and SANS, we obtain a coherent picture of the pore architecture and its dependence on activation strategy, revealing that the activation method governs pore structure more than the precursor type. SANS further reveals structural details beyond the reach of Ar adsorption alone by reconciling the competing models of non-graphitic carbon microstructures (i.e. curved vs flat carbon platelets) – suggesting that the balance in between models contribution depends on the activation strategy. Contrast matching with D 2 O further reveals that water actively modifies the carbon framework, compressing and curving defective layers. These results – relying on previous knowledge of the surface chemistry of the very same samples – provide a multi-scale understanding of structure and properties of ACs, clarifying how activation shapes microstructure, porosity and surface chemistry, with direct implications for their performance in real-world applications.
Source: ChemRxiv
Authors: Alberto Ricchebuono, Eleonora Vottero, Paolo Lazzarini, Daniele Bonavia, Riccardo Pellegrini, Valentina Crocellà, Stefano Checchia, Viviana Cristiglio, Nicolas Martin, Ralf Schweins, Elena Groppo, Andrea Piovano
Institutions: IFP Énergies nouvelles, National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology, University of Turin, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Nationale Supérieure d'Ingénieurs de Caen, Laboratoire Catalyse et Spectrochimie, Université de Caen Normandie, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Paul Scherrer Institute, Institut Laue-Langevin, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Laboratoire Léon Brillouin, Laboratoire Rhéologie et Procédés, Université Grenoble Alpes
Language: English
Subfield: Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Dipartimenti di Eccellenza
Awards: G1303340219, G5386476940, G683883107
OpenAlex ID: W7115567729