Preparation of mesoporous carbon gels from an inexpensive combination of phenol and formaldehyde

Preparation of carbon gels from phenol and formaldehyde was carried out. Phenol-formaldehyde (PF) cryogels and PF carbon cryogels were synthesized by dissolving into distilled and ion exchanged water. It was found that when the concentration of phenol was high, the polymers formed in the solution tended to lose their hydrophilicity. It was also found that by carefully adjusting the phenol concentration, gel-like materials could be obtained. The results show that the obtained PF cryogel developed mesopores, therefore it was experimentally shown that organic gels with unique mesoporous structures, similar to RF gels, can be obtained from phenol and formaldehyde.