Activated carbons are the most commonly employed adsorbents. Their versatility stems from the geometrical and chemical heterogeneity of their surface. The notion of geometrical heterogeneity encompasses pores of different sizes and shapes as well as cracks, pits, and steps. Nowadays, activated carbons of a wide range of desired surface areas and pore structures are available commercially. It was only in the '80s that the previously neglected but important subject of carbon surface chemistry was first analyzed in depth, since neither the surface area nor the pore structure was sufficient to explain many of the properties of carbon-supported catalysts.
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