Preparation and adsorption properties of activated porous carbons obtained using volatile zinc templating phases

High-surface-area activated micro/mesoporous carbons (SBET = 700–1900 m2/g) were obtained by a simple synthesis method, consisting in the ZnCl2-catalyzed polymerization of furfuryl alcohol followed by the polymer pyrolysis. The ZnCl2 salt, whose quantity exceeds that necessary for the polymerization reaction, acts both as template and as activating agent during the thermal treatment. Depending on the precursor quantities, carbons with prevailing micro- or meso-porous nature were obtained. The peculiar porosities make these materials suitable for testing the adsorption of molecules of different size (methylene blue and Cy-5 cyanine), which can constitute an easy method to qualitatively identify the micro/mesoporous nature of carbon materials.