Unveiling Mesopore Evolution in Carbonized Wood: Interfacial Separation, Migration, and Degradation of Lignin Phase

Carbon porous structure can be generated by an activation process, either chemically or physically. However, it remains a challenge to understand the pore structure evolution especially in a physically thermal oxidation process. In this work, mesopore evolution is revealed in association with three distinct stages: phase separation, migration, and thermal degradation. Oxidation temperature (270-370°C) and time (1-7 h) are employed to study the microstructure evolution in oxidative environment. Various characterization techniques including scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N₂ adsorption-desorption, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy have been used to investigate the structural and compositional change during thermal oxidation. High surface area mesoporous carbon is successfully manufactured from natural wood via this green technique, which could be applied to synthesize other highly porous carbon materials from similar biomass resources.