Modification of the porosity of pillared clays by carbon deposition. I. Polymer carbonization

In order to use pillared clays (PILC) for selective adsorption, further modifications of the porous structure are necessary. The deposition of carbon residues onto the porous structure of pillared clays by the carbonization of polymers (polyvinylalcohol) was proposed to achieve a controlled modification of the pore size. Ti and Al-pillared clays (calcined and non-calcined) were impregnated with PVA (different grades and different concentrations and subsequently carbonized to form carbon phases. The effect of the carbon deposits on the porosity of Ti- and Al-PILC is discussed in terms of pore-blocking, pore-filling and pore-narrowing. The deposition of carbon using PVA resulted in a complete pore-blocking for Al-PILC and in a narrowing of the pore size distribution for Ti-PILC, without achieving a controlled pore-narrowing.