Preparation and adsorption properties of activated porous carbons obtained using volatile zinc templating phases

High-surface-area activated micro/mesoporous carbons (S_BET ? 700–1900 m²/g) were obtained by a simple synthesis method, consisting in the ZnCl₂-catalyzed polymerization of furfuryl alcohol followed by the polymer pyrolysis. The ZnCl₂ salt, whose quantity exceeds that necessary for the polymerization reaction, acts both as template and as activating agent during the thermal treatment. Depending on the precursor quantities, carbons with prevailing micro- or meso-porous nature were obtained. The peculiar porosities make these materials suitable for testing the adsorption of molecules of different size (methylene blue and Cy-5 cyanine), which can constitute an easy method to qualitatively identify the micro/mesoporous nature of carbon materials.