Tailoring microstructure and microenvironment in carbonaceous sorbent for all-round superior naphthalene capture

Sorptive capture and recycling of gaseous naphthalene from industrial emissions are of both environmental significance and economic benefit. Constructing carbonaceous sorbents with matchable pore size and adequate active sites is significant towards the trade-off between adsorption and desorption for naphthalene. In this study, we developed a series of porous carbonaceous sorbents (ECSCs) using facile, inexpensive, and effective solution combustion synthesis (SCS) with subsequent calcination and pickling. The MgO@C precursors were fabricated via a fast and self-exothermic combustion reaction, and after calcination and MgO removal by pickling, the tailored pore structure was created. The morphology, porous structure, and surface chemical properties of ECSCs are precisely controlled by adjusting the type and content of fuel in combustion. For the optimized ECSC-G14 prepared on fuel-balanced condition, its layer-by-layer network facilitates adsorption mass transfer, and its high specific surface area (1987 m²·g⁻¹) and abundant 3–6 nm mesoporosity promotes the accessibility of active sites. Consequently, an unprecedented high naphthalene uptake (3.075 mmol·g⁻¹ at 398 K) and fast kinetics (∼1.43 × 10⁻² s⁻¹ at 2.82 × 10⁻³ mol·m⁻³ feed concentration) were achieved. Combined characterization and molecular calculation revealed the synergistic contribution of O and N to reversible adsorption with superb regenerability (E_a of 42.71 kJ·mol⁻¹) and cyclic properties. This study provides an effective strategy and theoretical support to customize the properties of porous carbons, overcoming the adsorption–desorption dilemma for gas purification.