Tailoring Copper-loaded Woody-derived Carbon Materials by Thermal Treatment

Carbon materials derived from woody biomass are considered to be a candidate of the support materials in catalytic and electrochemical reactions, which is essential for various renewable energy systems. Herein, we investigate the influence of thermal treatment on the structure and chemical composition of copper-loaded woody-derived carbon materials. The thermal treatment method for carbonizing the woody biomass and the species of copper impregnated on their surface strongly affected the structure and porosity of the as-synthesized carbon materials and the size of the loaded-copper particles. Moreover, the chemical composition of loaded-copper species significantly depended on the thermal treatment for copper impregnation. This study provides insights into synthetic methods for metal-loaded carbon materials (especially woody biomass) with high surface area, controllable chemical composition of metal content, and metal particle size.