| Mesoporous Carbon Nanocapsules from Enzymatically Polymerized Polyphenols Confined in Silica Aerosol Particles | ||
| Tonghua Zheng1, Jingjing Zhan2, Jiebin Pang2, Grace Tan2, Jibao He2, Gary L McPherson2, Yunfeng Lu2 and Vijay T. John2, (1)Chemical Engineering, Tulane University, 300 Lindy Boggs Bldg, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, (2)Tulane University, 300 Lindy Boggs Bldg, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118 We describe a simple and efficient approach to synthesize mesoporous carbon nanocapsules using an environmentally benign biocatalyzed carbon precursor. Enzymatically polymerized poly(4-ethylphenol) has been encapsulated in silica particles through an aerosol-assisted process. Carbonization of the polymer silica nanocomposite leads to a silica carbon nanocapsule composite. The subsequent removal of silica by dilute HF results in mesoporous carbon nanocapsules with a hollow core and a porous shell as revealed by TEM and SEM. The obtained nanocapsules show extremely high BET surface areas with well defined pore size distributions. Extended Abstract Status: Not Uploaded | ||