Carboxylate-Rich Carbonaceous Materials via One-Step Hydrothermal Carbonization of Glucose in the Presence of Acrylic Acid

The present study concerns the one-step aqueous route production of carbonaceous materials loaded with carboxylic groups using hydrothermal carbonization of glucose in the presence of acrylic acid. This method provides a "green" solvent and surfactant free access to hydrophilic functionalized carbons with very good water dispersivity. The resulting materials were characterized using various methods including, FT-IR, Zeta Potential, N2 adsorption, Raman Spectroscopy, SEM, TGA, and 13C solid-state NMR. Among other possible applications of these types of materials, here, we discuss their use as adsorbents for heavy metals removal from aqueous solutions