(495c) Metal-Impregnated Nanoporous Carbon-Silica Composite Adsorbents for the Separation of Light Gases From Air

Nanoporous carbon silica composite materials containing active metal sites have shown potential as novel catalytic adsorbents for the removal of toxic industrial chemicals from air. This work focuses on impregnating a nanoporous carbon silica composite material made from furfuryl alcohol and MCM-41 with reactive metal sites in both the carbon and silica phases. These novel materials have been characterized by XPS, XRD, adsorption isotherms, and TGA. Breakthrough times of light gases have also been determined for these adsorbents. The characterization techniques show that the metals have been successfully incorporated into both the carbon and silica phases of the composite materials and that the metals do not disrupt the hexagonal mesoporous silica structure. Breakthrough results show that metal impregnation increases breakthrough time compared to an unimpregnated control.