High-Specific Surface Area Hierarchical Al₂O₃ Carbon Fiber Based on A Waste Paper Fiber Template: Preparation and Adsorption for Iodide Ions

Abstract

In this work, a hierarchical Al₂O₃ carbon fiber (H-Al-CF) was successfully fabricated for application in the removal of iodide ions from water. High yields of Al₂O₃-coated carbon fiber were prepared by a sol–gel process using waste paper fibers as templates and carbon sources. The H-Al-CF is fabricated by an in-situ growth of AlOOH nanocrystals on the surface of carbon fibers following calcination. The synthesized H-Al-CF exhibits the developed porosity including mesopores and macropores, and has high-specific surface area (348.9 m² g⁻¹) and iodide ions' adsorption efficiency (92.3%). The in-situ growth process ensures that H-Al-CF has a more stable structure, further promoting higher adsorption efficiency.

KEYWORDS:

• Carbon materials
• porous materials
• bio-template
• waste paper
• adsorption

FUNDING

This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1507115), the Natural Science of Jiangsu Province (BK20161362 and BK20160500), and Scientific Research Foundation for Advanced Talents of Jiangsu University (15JDG142).