The nature of MgO precursor decomposition and pore-forming in hard-templating of porous carbon derived from cotton

As one of the hard templating method for making porous materials, MgO templating was under intensive investigation for its various advantages. In this research, MgO templating was employed to reuse textile waste cotton. The main purpose was to compare the pyrolysis behaviors of four MgO-precursors (magenesium acetate, magnesium chloride, magnesium citrate and MgO particles) for their effectiveness as templating agents. Thermogravimetric and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that precursors decomposed stepwise or disintegrate to form nano-size MgO particles. At the same time, carbonized cotton was able to replicate the morphology of MgO particles to create porous structures. The effects of precursor and treatment temperature on the morphology of MgO, pore structures and surface chemistry were investigated. Results proved that by manipulating templating conditions, cotton waste was able to produce activated carbon of various properties.