Adsorption of vitamin B12 on ordered mesoporous carbons coated with PMMA

Ordered mesoporous carbons CMK-3 and CMK-1 were prepared from SBA-15 and MCM-48 materials with pore diameters 3.9 nm and 2.7 nm, respectively. When both mesoporous carbons were coated with about 10 wt.% poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), the pore diameters decreased from 3.9 nm to 3.4 nm for CMK-3 and from 2.7 nm to 2.5 nm for CMK-1. These mesoporous carbons containing about 10 wt.% PMMA were studied as adsorbents of Vitamin B 12 (VB12) from water solutions, and their performances were compared with that of pristine CMK-3, CMK-1. Compared with CMK-1, CMK-3 showed higher vitamin B12 adsorption due to a larger mesopore volume, a higher BET surface and a larger pore diameter. After coated with PMMA, both mesoporous carbons showed higher adsorption capacity than pristine materials. The adsorption properties were influenced by the pore structure and surface properties of mesoporous carbons.