One-Step Synthesis of High-Performance N/S Co-Doped Porous Carbon Material for Environmental Remediation

Potassium thiocyanate (KSCN), a highly efficient “three birds with one stone” activator, might work with inorganic activators to produce excellent N/S co-doped porous carbon (NSC) materials for environmental remediation. However, the effects of inorganic activators on cooperative activation are unclear. As a result, the influence of inorganic activators on the synthesis of NSC materials was investigated further. This study shows that the surface areas of the NSC materials acquired through cooperative activation by potassium salts (KOH or K2CO3) were considerably higher than those acquired through KSCN activation alone (1403 m2/g). Furthermore, KSCN could cooperate with K2CO3 to prepare samples with excellent specific surface area (2900 m2/g) or N/S content. The as-prepared NSC materials demonstrated higher adsorption capability for chloramphenicol (833 mg/g) and Pb2+ (303 mg/g) (pore fitting, complexation). The research provides critical insights into the one-step synthesis of NSC materials with a vast application potential.