LAUSR

Abstract Graphene oxide/ordered mesoporous carbon (GO/OMC) nanostructures with narrow mesopore size distribution were obtained via soft-templating synthesis followed by KOH activation. Microporosity and mesoporosity of these composite nanostructures were additionally controlled by adjusting the amount of added GO and by post-synthesis KOH activation. Incorporation of GO into OMC structure resulted in improving adsorption uptakes of benzene and hydrogen, which reached 9.6 mmol/g (at 20 °C and pressure close to the saturation vapor pressure) and 11.7 mmol/g (2.3 wt% H2 at −196 °C and 760 mm Hg), respectively. At the same conditions bare activated OMC adsorbed 8.1 mmol/g and 10.8 mmol/g of benzene and hydrogen, respectively. Also, these adsorbents showed high uptakes of CH4 (2.1 mmol/g at 20 °C and 760 mm Hg) and CO2 (6.0 mmol/g at 0 °C and 760 mm Hg). The GO/OMC composite nanostructures were characterized by nitrogen adsorption, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetry. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first comparative study of adsorption properties of the GO/OMC composite nanostructures toward various gases.