CF4 Adsorption on Microporous Carbons Prepared by Carbonization of Poly(vinylidene fluoride)

Abstract

CF4 is a gas with high global warming potential and has an extremely long atmospheric lifetime. This study developed a method for capturing CF4 gas via adsorption using microporous carbons. Microporous carbon adsorbents were synthesized by a facile protocol involving carbonization of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) at high temperatures (400-800 degrees C) without additional activation, and the effects of carbonization on the characteristics and CF, adsorption of PVDF-based adsorbents were investigated. Increasing the carbonization temperature enhanced the textural properties of the adsorbent, resulting in the increased CF4 adsorption capacity. Above 700 degrees C, PVDF was fully dehydrofluorinated, and the microporous carbon synthesized at 800 degrees C exhibited superior textural properties with a maximum CF4 adsorption capacity of 1.85 mol/kg at 25 degrees C under atmospheric pressure. The PVDF-based microporous carbons also exhibited fast adsorption desorption kinetics, excellent cyclic stability, and good selectivity for CF4 over N-2 at relatively low CF4 pressures. The microporous carbons developed in this study have potential for use as novel adsorbents for CF4 capture.