State-of-the-art separation science and heterogeneous catalysis relies on the high active surface area and analyte accessibility enabled by ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) nanomaterials. In the context of hydrometallurgical e-waste reclamation, there is a need for highly recyclable materials which can effectively and selectively sorb valued metals in acidified aqueous media. For heterogeneous catalysis, OMC materials are employed as inert supports for the active reaction species; Whether it is an atomic single-site or a metal nanoparticle, it is known that spatial dispersion on the supporting material surface is key to optimizing recyclability and activity. We have fabricated a set of four amine-modified OMC materials using an established method of organolithium C-H activation on OMC surfaces. We have been able to tether either a short (two carbon), medium (four carbon), long (six carbon) chain primary amine modality, and a diamine ligand. This has been done in an effort to investigate the effects of amine linker length/sterics with respect to metal coordination and uptake. Functional group identity (-C2H4NH2 vs -C2H2(NH2)2) will provide insight on the selectivity of the different amine surfaces for a plurality of noble metals. A decrease in average pore diameter, surface area and pore volume from nitrogen sorption points favorably towards a successful surface modification. Emergence of characteristic alkylamine bands in FTIR spectra support this observation. A combination of UV/Vis spectrophotometry, ICP-OES and TEM-EDX have been employed to assess the uptake and distribution of noble metals onto the engineered amine-OMC nanoparticles.

Amine modified ordered mesoporous carbon surfaces for targeted metal chelation

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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