Monodisperse carbon-polymer mesoporous spheres with magnetic functionality and adjustable pore-size distribution

Abstract

A novel route to fabricate mesoporous carbon spheres (MCCs) that combines size control with chemical specificity and flexible magnetic functionality derived from nontoxic materials, is presented. This synthetic strategy involves the incorporation of superparamagnetic nanoparticles of nontoxic iron oxide ferrites with uniform and tunable particle size, throughout the porosity of MCCs. The carbons were prepared through a nanocasting technique using uniform mesoporous silica microspheres as sacrificial templates. This strategy also incorporate magnetic nanoparticles of iron oxide ferrites within the pores of the synthesized mesoporous carbon microspheres. This strategy allows the preparation of magnetically reversible monodisperse carbon spheres with flexible pore-size distribution and tunable magnetic moment. Pore size distribution of these materials can be modulated from mono-modal to bimodal.