Mesoporous C/CrN and C/VN nanocomposites obtained by one-pot soft-templating process

Abstract

Nanocomposites of ordered mesoporous carbon associated with chromium nitride (CrN) or vanadium nitride (VN) nanoparticles were obtained by a simple one-pot synthesis based on the solvent evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) process using Pluronic triblock surfactant as soft-template and a phenol-based resin (resol) as carbon precursor. These nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen physisorption and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) techniques. Electron tomography (or 3D-TEM) technique was particularly useful for providing direct insight on the internal architecture of C/CrN nanocomposite. Nanocomposites showed a very well organized hexagonal mesoporous carbon structure and a relatively high concentration of nanoparticles well distributed in the porous network. The chromium and vanadium nitrides/mesoporous carbon nanocomposites could have many potential applications in catalysis, Li-ion batteries, and supercapacitors.