Rapid Mesoporous Carbon Complex Fabrication via Photothermal Process

Mesoporous carbon containing well dispersed crystalline nanoparticles are interesting high performance materials. Here, we demonstrate a novel microsecond light pulse carbonization process that produces large area mesoporous carbon films containing well-dispersed titania nanoparticles. The process involves a bottlebrush copolymer which self-assembles into a spherical morphology. When combined with a phenol-formaldehyde resin which provided the carbon scaffold, and TiO₂ nanoparticles which serve as a photocatalyst. A structure-property relationship was investigated for fast precursor formation of mesoporous carbon hybrid material. TiO₂ loading as high as 50 wt% was achieved. This mesoporous hybrid material resulted in a 1.5-fold improved degradation potential over the reference bulk titania. The photocatalytic neutralization potential was tested on both an organophosphorus nerve agent and a environmental hazardous simulant. Apart from photocatalytic activity of the dispersed TiO₂ nanoparticles, the mesoporous structure also led to highly absorbent properties. More notably, this rapid photothermal process used to fabricate porous material can be potentially applied to the design many other multifunctional mesoporous carbon-metal oxide hybrid materials.