Surface modified activated carbon with β-cyclodextrin – Part I. Synthesis and characterization

Abstract

Surface functional groups produced from oxidation (carboxylic acid, lactone, quinine, phenol, and nitro groups), reduction (alcohol and amine groups), and grafting (imine and hemi-acetal) reactions were characterized (using surface analysis and chemical methods) and compared with unmodified activated carbon (AC) materials. The untreated, surface-modified, and grafted activated carbon materials were characterized by various surface sensitive methods: Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetry analysis, and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. A chemical method (Boehm titration) was used for estimating the amount of surface bound acidic and basic functional groups. Nitrogen porosimetry was used to analyze the surface area (95–1350 m²/g) and pore volume (0–0.31 cm³/g) characteristics of AC, surface modified AC, and AC materials grafted with β-cyclodextrin.

Keywords:

• Activated carbon
• surface modification
• β-cyclodextrin

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge NORIT America Ltd. for their kind provision of research samples for this research. NSERC, CFI, and the University of Saskatchewan are acknowledged for their support of this research.