An ingenious strategy for construction of B, N Co-doped nanoporous carbon toward room-temperature adsorption and activation of formaldehyde

The capture of formaldehyde (HCHO) is a crucial step in the HCHO purification system that requires an adjustable surface structure of adsorbent to enhance the HCHO adsorption ability. Carbon material, known to contain high surface area and structural tunability, provides an extremely valuable candidate to eliminate indoor HCHO pollutant. Herein, a novel electron acceptor–donor structure is constructed to the surface of nanoporous carbon based on the B, N doping theory. The mechanism of HCHO adsorption and activation on the surface of B, N co-doped nanoporous carbon (BNC) is systematically investigated by experimental tests that the B–N Lewis pair sites contribute a larger adsorption capacity than that of nitrogen-doping and non-doping samples. The present study gives an in-depth understanding about the contribution of the B–N Lewis pair for HCHO adsorption, and also corresponding positive impacts on the transformation into less toxic intermediate species of adsorbed HCHO at room temperature.