ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Structural-Property Relationship in Activated
Carbon Synthesized from Rice Straw
for Electronic Application
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1
Civil Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Shaqra University, Dawadmi, Ar Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
2
Environmental Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
3
Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences and Humanities, Shaqra University, Ad-Dawadmi, Saudi Arabia
4
National Center for Irradiation Technology, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology,
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
5
Department of Physics, College of Sciences and Humanities, Shaqra University, Ad-Dawadmi, Saudi Arabia
6
Université de Monastir, Laboratoire Physico-chimie des Matériaux, Faculté des Sciences de Monastir,
Département de Physique, Monastir, Tunisia
Submission date: 2019-11-30
Acceptance date: 2020-02-03
Online publication date: 2020-04-22
Publication date: 2020-06-08
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2020;29(5):3535-3547
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ABSTRACT
Activated carbons have been prepared from rice straw by considering the material forms of rice
straw, the chemical activation agent and the preparation method. The study seeks optimal conditions for
giving better mico- and nano- properties, and to support the corresponding molecular structure. All the
obtained results are referred to those of a commercial sample. Fourier transform infrared absorption,
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and dispersive X-ray spectroscopy are combined to determine
functional groups. Moreover, a quantum chemical calculation has been done using density functional
theory to argue the proposed molecular structure. Principally, the vibrational properties are compared
to experimental results, and the corresponding electronic structure is calculated. Thermal stability and
eventual reactions are evidenced by both differential and gravimetric thermal analysis. The surface
topography of the resulting activated carbon is checked by scanning electron microscope and correlated
with their chemical and textual characteristics carried out from Brunauer, Emmett and Teller analysis.
Results illustrate that the resulting product is a mixture of carbon graphic structure and acidic/basic
entities and exhibit a global acidic pH. The use of KOH as oxidant agent and the ground raw material
form leads to obtain good properties such as higher surface area and higher porosity. Based on the size
compatibility making it possible to introduce low-radius single-walled carbon nanotubes, the electronic
structures of the prepared activated carbon and that of chiral (5,5) SWCNTs and their corresponding
frontier molecular orbitals have been carried out at the DFT/6-31-G(d) level. These calculations are
carried out to evidence the charge transfer between both components in the bulk hetero-nano-junctions
as interpenetrating network.