Silicon carbide (SiC), especially mesoporous SiC has been in immense vogue for more than a decade because of its intriguing properties and wide applications. However, it is still challenging to… Click to show full abstract
Silicon carbide (SiC), especially mesoporous SiC has been in immense vogue for more than a decade because of its intriguing properties and wide applications. However, it is still challenging to synthesize mesoporous SiC with good structural integrality, large specific surface area and desirable porosity at a low temperature. In this study, we reported a “dual-confined spaces”-assisted synthesis of mesoporous SiC using well-assembled SiO2/carbon composite as precursor via a magnesiothermic reduction process. The well-crystallinity mesoporous SiC presented a mesopore structure with high specific surface area of 267.3 m2 g[Formula: see text] and large mesopore size of ca. 10[Formula: see text]nm can be directly fabricated at a temperature of at least 550∘C and the optimum synthesis temperature is 650∘C. During the synthesis, mesoporous carbon matrix and a pressure-tight stainless steel reactor were served as “dual-confined spaces” to avoid the aggregation of silica and the silicon residue left in the final SiC sample. Furthermore, the as-prepared mesoporous SiC showed prominent performance as catalyst support for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol.
               
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