Detailed investigation of N-doped microporous carbons derived from urea furfural resin for CO₂ capture

N-doped microporous carbons are considered to be the most potentially useful materials for CO₂ adsorption due to their special features. We previously reported a strategy to prepare N-doped microporous carbon from low cost and widely available urea furfural resin. Herein, we performed detailed investigations on textural and CO₂ adsorption properties of several N-doped carbons using different urea/furfural ratios and carbonization temperatures. N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms were used to determine their microporosity and the results revealed that both the carbonization temperature and urea/furfural ratio are important to form abundant micropores, which will lead to higher CO₂ adsorption capacity. Recyclability and selectivity of the materials were also conducted and these results showed their high stability and recyclability along with high selectivity for CO₂ over N₂. The presently developed N-doped carbon materials are promising adsorbents for CO₂ adsorption.