Novel monoliths prepared from sucrose avoiding binder and thermal treatment

Abstract We present a process for the synthesis of binder-free carbon monoliths, which were prepared from carbon microspheres at room temperature. The microspheres were obtained through hydrothermal treatment of sucrose, and monoliths with a bulk density around 1 g cm −3 were prepared from them by a simple pressurization process. Subsequently, the monoliths were activated with CO 2 in order to increase their porosity. The activation preserved the monolithic shape and yielded maximum BET surface areas close to 4000 m 2  g -1 . High pressure gas adsorption isotherms reveal that the activated carbon monoliths are interesting candidates for gas storage applications. High excess adsorption amounts are measured for hydrogen (1.2 wt. %) and methane (453 mg g −1 ) at room temperature and pressures up to 20 MPa. Taking into account the measured densities of the monoliths, a maximum volumetric excess adsorption amount of CH 4 of 230 cm 3 cm −3 is reached.