A titanium carbide-derived novel tetrafluoromethane adsorbent with outstanding adsorption performance

CF₄, which is widely used in the production of semiconductors and aluminum, has a very high global warming potential and extremely long atmospheric lifetime. Adsorption is an alternative technique to the energy-consuming conventional CF₄combustion disposal method, and the development of appropriate adsorbents is important for a competent CF₄adsorption process. Here, microporous carbons are synthesized for new CF₄adsorbents by the selective etching of titanium carbide using chlorine gas at high temperatures (800, 900, and 1000 °C). Additionally, post-treatment with H₂eliminates any unreacted chlorine. Interestingly, the CF₄adsorption capacity has a linear relation with the micropore volume for pores less than 0.9 nm. The titanium carbide-based microporous carbon chlorinated at 800 °C and post-treated with H₂has the highest CF₄adsorption capacity of 2.96 mol kg⁻¹at 25 °C and 1 atm, which is the highest reported value to date. Besides the high CF₄adsorption capacity, the prepared microporous carbon shows a high selectivity for CF₄over N₂at low CF₄partial pressures and an excellent cyclic stability.