In-Situ Polymerization for Catalytic Graphitization of Boronated PAN Using Aluminum and Zirconium Containing Co-Catalysts
In-situ polymerization is an effective method for integrating co-catalysts homogeneously into the polymer matrix. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-derived highly graphitized carbon is a state-of-the-art material with diverse applications, including materials for energy storage devices, electrocatalysis, sens...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Taewoo Kim Byoung-Suhk Kim Tae Hoon Ko Hak Yong Kim |
| author_facet | Taewoo Kim Byoung-Suhk Kim Tae Hoon Ko Hak Yong Kim |
| author_sort | Taewoo Kim |
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| description | In-situ polymerization is an effective method for integrating co-catalysts homogeneously into the polymer matrix. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-derived highly graphitized carbon is a state-of-the-art material with diverse applications, including materials for energy storage devices, electrocatalysis, sensing, adsorption, and making structural composites of various technologies. Such highly graphitized materials can be effectively obtained through in-situ polymerization. The addition of external catalysts during in-situ polymerization not only enhances the polymerization rate but also facilitates the degree of graphitization and quality of graphitic carbon upon graphitization at moderate temperatures. In this study, we apply an in-situ polymerization technique to integrate aluminum triflate (Al(OTf)<sub>3</sub>) and zirconocene dichloride (C<sub>5</sub>H<sub>5</sub>)<sub>2</sub>ZrCl<sub>2</sub> co-catalyst into a boronated polyacrylonitrile (B-PAN) matrix. The in-situ polymerization ensures the uniform distribution of the co-catalyst without aggregation, facilitating the formation of a well-ordered graphitic structure at a moderated temperature. Boronated polyacrylonitrile (B-PAN) solutions, with and without co-catalyst (Al(OTf)<sub>3</sub>, (C<sub>5</sub>H<sub>5</sub>)<sub>2</sub>ZrCl<sub>2</sub> or both) were prepared through polymerization process, dried in an oven, and then subjected to graphitization at 1250 °C with a heating rate of 1 °C min<sup>−1</sup> for 1 h under an N<sub>2</sub> atmosphere. The resulting graphitic carbon was characterized to determine the impact of co-catalyst on the degree of graphitization. This study provides valuable insights into synthesizing high-quality graphitic carbon materials, offering promising pathways for their scalable production through the strategic use of in-situ polymerization and co-catalysis. These materials have potential applications in various fields, including environmental technologies, energy storage, and conversion, offering a pathway to design facile and economical graphitic carbon materials. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d7aa34793dc14e30a45a390c79bb7979 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2304-6740 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Inorganics |
| spelling | doaj-art-d7aa34793dc14e30a45a390c79bb79792025-01-24T13:35:29ZengMDPI AGInorganics2304-67402025-01-011311610.3390/inorganics13010016In-Situ Polymerization for Catalytic Graphitization of Boronated PAN Using Aluminum and Zirconium Containing Co-CatalystsTaewoo Kim0Byoung-Suhk Kim1Tae Hoon Ko2Hak Yong Kim3Department of Nano Convergence Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 561756, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Nano Convergence Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 561756, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Nano Convergence Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 561756, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Nano Convergence Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 561756, Republic of KoreaIn-situ polymerization is an effective method for integrating co-catalysts homogeneously into the polymer matrix. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-derived highly graphitized carbon is a state-of-the-art material with diverse applications, including materials for energy storage devices, electrocatalysis, sensing, adsorption, and making structural composites of various technologies. Such highly graphitized materials can be effectively obtained through in-situ polymerization. The addition of external catalysts during in-situ polymerization not only enhances the polymerization rate but also facilitates the degree of graphitization and quality of graphitic carbon upon graphitization at moderate temperatures. In this study, we apply an in-situ polymerization technique to integrate aluminum triflate (Al(OTf)<sub>3</sub>) and zirconocene dichloride (C<sub>5</sub>H<sub>5</sub>)<sub>2</sub>ZrCl<sub>2</sub> co-catalyst into a boronated polyacrylonitrile (B-PAN) matrix. The in-situ polymerization ensures the uniform distribution of the co-catalyst without aggregation, facilitating the formation of a well-ordered graphitic structure at a moderated temperature. Boronated polyacrylonitrile (B-PAN) solutions, with and without co-catalyst (Al(OTf)<sub>3</sub>, (C<sub>5</sub>H<sub>5</sub>)<sub>2</sub>ZrCl<sub>2</sub> or both) were prepared through polymerization process, dried in an oven, and then subjected to graphitization at 1250 °C with a heating rate of 1 °C min<sup>−1</sup> for 1 h under an N<sub>2</sub> atmosphere. The resulting graphitic carbon was characterized to determine the impact of co-catalyst on the degree of graphitization. This study provides valuable insights into synthesizing high-quality graphitic carbon materials, offering promising pathways for their scalable production through the strategic use of in-situ polymerization and co-catalysis. These materials have potential applications in various fields, including environmental technologies, energy storage, and conversion, offering a pathway to design facile and economical graphitic carbon materials.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6740/13/1/16in-situ polymerizationBoronated polyacrylonitrile solution (B-PAN)co-catalystlow temperature graphitizationgraphitic carbon (GC) |
| spellingShingle | Taewoo Kim Byoung-Suhk Kim Tae Hoon Ko Hak Yong Kim In-Situ Polymerization for Catalytic Graphitization of Boronated PAN Using Aluminum and Zirconium Containing Co-Catalysts Inorganics in-situ polymerization Boronated polyacrylonitrile solution (B-PAN) co-catalyst low temperature graphitization graphitic carbon (GC) |
| title | In-Situ Polymerization for Catalytic Graphitization of Boronated PAN Using Aluminum and Zirconium Containing Co-Catalysts |
| title_full | In-Situ Polymerization for Catalytic Graphitization of Boronated PAN Using Aluminum and Zirconium Containing Co-Catalysts |
| title_fullStr | In-Situ Polymerization for Catalytic Graphitization of Boronated PAN Using Aluminum and Zirconium Containing Co-Catalysts |
| title_full_unstemmed | In-Situ Polymerization for Catalytic Graphitization of Boronated PAN Using Aluminum and Zirconium Containing Co-Catalysts |
| title_short | In-Situ Polymerization for Catalytic Graphitization of Boronated PAN Using Aluminum and Zirconium Containing Co-Catalysts |
| title_sort | in situ polymerization for catalytic graphitization of boronated pan using aluminum and zirconium containing co catalysts |
| topic | in-situ polymerization Boronated polyacrylonitrile solution (B-PAN) co-catalyst low temperature graphitization graphitic carbon (GC) |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6740/13/1/16 |
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