Effect of methanol content in commercial formaldehyde solutions on the porosity of RF carbon xerogels

Methanol is used commercially as a stabilizer in solutions of formaldehyde to prevent its precipitation. However, the methanol content of commercially available formaldehyde solutions differs from one supplier to another. The pH, dilution and R/F ratio have been demonstrated to be interdependent var...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Díaz Alonso-Buenaposada, Isabel, Rey Raap, Natalia, Gómez Calvo, Esther, Menéndez Díaz, José Ángel, Arenillas de la Puente, Ana
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2015
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/131794
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/131794
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Methanol
Controlled porosity
Formaldehyde
Carbon xerogels
Descripción
Sumario:Methanol is used commercially as a stabilizer in solutions of formaldehyde to prevent its precipitation. However, the methanol content of commercially available formaldehyde solutions differs from one supplier to another. The pH, dilution and R/F ratio have been demonstrated to be interdependent variables that can be manipulated to tailor the porous properties of RF carbon xerogels. This work considers the methanol contained in formaldehyde solutions as a new variable to be studied in conjunction with those just mentioned. For the purpose of this study, the influence of methanol on the final porous properties of RF carbon xerogels has been evaluated. It was found that carbon xerogels synthesized using formaldehyde solutions with lower concentrations of methanol showed a higher total pore volume and pore size, and in turn, a lower density and a greater porosity. The porosity of RF carbon xerogels could therefore be radically modified depending on the commercial formaldehyde solution used for their synthesis.