Because of the considerably high fixed carbon content and the characteristic random configuration of the resulting carbon 1, phenol-formaldehyde resins have become increasingly important as precursors for porous carbons in the form of fibers or particles 2,3. It has been reported in our previous studies that high porosity carbons can be produced from the resins using either physical or chemical activation methods 3,4. Physical activation is preferred for mass production in industry because of environmental and economical concerns. However, the yield of the high porosity carbons from physical activation is usually low, due to the fact that the development of pores in the carbons is achieved by eliminating a large amount of internal carbon mass. Apart from the effect of activation degree, it is generally recognized that the porosity of the carbon from physical activation is dictated by the type of precursor used as well as the structure of resulting chars from carbonization 5.
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