Abstract
Transition metal (Fe, Co and Ni) doped carbon xerogels (CXs) were synthesised by one-pot pyrolysis of the sol–gel polymer of resorcinol and formaldehyde in the presence of the corresponding metal nitrates. N2 adsorption–desorption and scanning and transmission electron microscopies proved that the addition of different metals could exert a remarkable influence on the textural properties. From X-ray diffraction, the phase of the metallic species was confirmed. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that the surface morphologies of the resultant metal-CXs were composed of carbon microspheres. Transmission electron microscopy observations illustrated that Ni-CX was made of uniform carbon nanotubes that differed from the core/shell structures of Fe- and Co-xerogels. Measurements on the magnetic properties indicated that the Fe-, Co- and Ni-CXs exhibited typical ferromagnetic characteristics at room temperature.
The financial support of the Doctoral Program Foundation of Liaoning Province (grant no. 20091047) is gratefully acknowledged.