High-surface-area microporous-mesoporous carbons were produced from carbon gel by applying the three consecutive steps of air oxidation, thermal treatment, and activation (the OTA method) to the gel. The formation of mesopores occurs both inside and outside the nanoparticles which form the carbon gel, while micropores are predominantly created within the nanoparticles. The OTA method offered a greater increase in pore volume and BET surface area of the resulting activated carbon in comparison with conventional CO2 activation either under the same activation conditions or at the same degree of carbon burn-off. Under the best preparation conditions, the maximum values of micropore volume, mesopore volume, and BET surface area achievable using the OTA method were found to be 1.19 cm3 g-1, 1.81 cm3 g-1, and 2920 m2 g-1, respectively at a 72% carbon burn-off. The larger increase in porous properties of activated carbon gel prepared by the OTA method over those based on conventional activation stems from the effects of the oxidation and heat treatment steps of the OTA method that could produce a large number of reaction sites which lead to efficient pore formation during the following CO2 activation process.
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