The development and characterization of tailored, high surface area adsorbents for enhanced adsorption

In the 1970's, the first activated carbon fibers(ACFs) were developed from phenolic precursors by Economy et al. These fibers addressed the serious limitations of ACGs and possessed excellent contact efficiency (fast adsorption/desorption kinetics), high surface area, narrow micropore size distribution, and ease for in-situ reactivation. Despite these advantages, the ACFs were precluded to use in niche markets because of their high cost $(>\$100$/lb.) and their poor wear properties. This thesis describes a novel approach to the design of low-cost activated fiber assemblies which exceed the properties of the ACFs but which are cost competitive with ACGs. Primarily, this thesis describes means to tailor the pore size and surface chemistry of activated carbons to provide for enhanced adsorption. In particular, the pore size, pore surface chemistry, and other parameters were characterized and related to synthesis conditions. This was possible since for the first time we were able to directly observe the microporosity of amorphous activated carbons using STM. These fundamental properties were related to the adsorbate properties and concentration.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio