RIS ID
116701
Abstract
The preparation, characteristics and adsorption properties of novel porous carbon-ceramic composite microspheres are presented. The composites were synthesised by a simple ion exchange process involving the cationic Zr tetramer and commonly-available macroporous sulphonated polystyrene-divinylbenzene cation exchange resins, with subsequent carbothermal reduction at 1350 °C. The materials were extensively characterised with respect to composition, chemical structure and porosity. Carbothermal reduction of the Zr-loaded templates resulted in formation of crystallites of the MAX phase zirconium sulphide carbide (Zr 2 SC) embedded within a highly microporous carbon framework with a macroporous secondary structure inherited from the resin template. Despite the high BET surface areas of the Zr 2 SC-carbon composite microspheres (in some cases, greater than 600 m 2 g −1 ), they are extremely mechanically robust. The microspheres displayed high adsorption selectivity for oxoanions relative to cationic solution species, including perrhenate (ReO 4 − ), a pertechnetate (TcO 4 − ) surrogate. Accumulation of ReO 4 − on the Zr 2 SC particles was unequivocally demonstrated by elemental mapping. Such materials are potential candidates as combined 99 Tc sorbents and reusable transmutation hosts.
Publication Details
Scales, N., Chen, J., Aughterson, R. D., Karatchevtseva, I., Stopic, A., Lumpkin, G. R. & Luca, V. (2018). Porous Zr2SC-carbon composite microspheres: Possible radiation tolerant sorbents and transmutation hosts for technetium-99. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 259 67-78.