Electrosorption of ions from aqueous solutions has implications in many electrochemical processes, including water desalination and energy storage in supercapacitors. The focus is on electrosorption of ions from aqueous solutions utilized in capacitive deionization (CDI) process for water desalination. Mesoporous carbon materials of ~8-20 nm pore size are suitable for electrosorption due to their high specific surface area, low electrical resistivity, and suitable porosity. The results obtained in the study suggest that the mesoporous carbon materials synthesized at Oak Ridge National Laboratory via a self-assembly method exhibit a higher ion removal capacity with faster deionization rates over conventional carbon materials. Neutron imaging is used to quantify the distribution of ions in the carbon electrodes. The images of the carbon electrodes acquired over time are being analyzed to yield the effective diffusion coefficient of ions in the electrodes, which can be utilized to model the capacitive deionization process.

Electrosorption of ions from aqueous solutions by mesoporous carbon materials

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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