Cobalt-catalyzed carbonization from polyacrylonitrile for preparing nitrogen-containing ordered mesoporous carbon CMK-1 electrode with high electric double-layer capacitance

Ordered mesoporous carbon CMK-1 was prepared via carbonization at a relatively low temperature (the first step) followed by partial graphitization (the second step of carbonization at higher temperature) inside the ordered mesopores of cobalt-loaded mesoporous silica MCM-48 using polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as a carbon/nitrogen source. This first step of the carbonization is called “infusibilization”, and the resultant material is denoted as PAN_inf. In an advanced temperature-programmed desorption analysis of the PAN_inf/MCM-48 composite, the temperature of the observed HCN signal indicated that carbonization was reduced from 550 to 450 °C by a Co catalyst. The amount of typical N₂ formation associated with the selective removal of pyridinic N species, resulting in the graphitic surface formation, also increased at a relatively high temperature (approximately 1000 °C) with the aid of the Co catalyst. The CMK-1 prepared through cobalt-catalyzed carbonization exhibited a higher electric double-layer capacitance with an Et₄N⁺BF₄^–/propylene carbonate electrolyte, and higher electrical conductivity than CMK-1 prepared without a catalyst. This also implied the progress of graphitization within the carbonaceous wall. These results suggest that the edge planes of the graphitic domains in CMK-1 are predominantly exposed on the surfaces of the carbonaceous walls, resulting in an increase in the number of adsorptive sites for the electrolyte during capacitance measurements.