Application of Low-Voltage Field-Emission SEM to the Study of Internal Pore Structures of Activated Carbon
Activated carbon has interesting and useful properties for industrial applications. It has been used extensively in purification, separation, chemical recovery and catalysis. To achieve a predictable performance of activated carbon materials, it is necessary to develop a comprehensive understanding of the pore structure including pore size, pore shape, and pore surface chemistry. Macropores (> 50 nm), mesopores (2-50 nm) and micropores (< 2 nm) generally coexist in activated carbon. It is thus desirable to synthesize activated carbon with controlled pore structures to optimize its performance. We previously reported the characterization of the surface pore structure of activated carbon by field emission SEM (FESEM) and the examination of the internal pore structure by HAADF/HRTEM techniques.1 However, both HAADF and HRTEM techniques give only limited information about the carbon pore structure. We report here some preliminary observation of the internal pore structure of activated carbon by high resolution low voltage FESEM technique.