Adsorption characteristics of heat-treated fullerene nano-whiskers

Fullerene nanowhiskers (FNWs) were synthesized by the liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation method and the adsorption properties of their heat-treated samples were characterized. It was found that vacuum-annealed FNWs at a high temperature are of microporous materials and, especially, ultramicropores are highly developed in these materials. Porosities even remain in samples after heat treatment at a temperature higher than 2273 K. The presence of ultramicroporosity is indicative of the molecular sieving properties of the vacuum-annealed FNW materials, suggesting the possibilities of their application as new materials for gas separation and gas storage.