Fructose as a Precursor for Mesoporous Carbon: Straightforward Solvent-Free Synthesis by Nanocasting

Due to their unique properties, ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) materials prepared by nanocasting have raised great attention in recent years. Their synthesis usually comprises multiple cycles of impregnating a porous structure matrix with an aqueous solution of a suitable precursor, such as sucrose or other, often hazardous, compound. We present a more straightforward variation of this method by using fructose as the precursor compound. By using a solvent-free melt of the precursor, the impregnation requires only a single step. After carbonization by thermal decomposition and removal of the mesoporous silica structure matrix (SBA-15), ordered mesoporous carbon with one (CMK-3) or two (CMK-5) pore modes in two-dimensional, hexagonal symmetry (p6mm) is obtained.