Unveiling the vital role of the C-PO3 functional group for enhancing N2O adsorption on eucalyptus-based porous carbon

[Display omitted] •Various of N and P sources were used to co-dope eucalyptus bark based porous carbons for N2O capture.•The adsorption capacity of APC-800 was approximately twice than that of non-doped material.•The N2O adsorption performance was greatly promoted by the formation of N, P co-doped functional groups.•The C-PO3 functional group acted a crucial effect on the adsorption of N2O. Nitrous oxide (N2O), as one of the primary greenhouse gases with great warming potential in the atmosphere, has still received insufficient attention. The possibility of utilizing biomass-derived materials to create N2O adsorbents has gradually attracted considerable interest for promoting sustainable and eco-friendly development. Due to the introducing nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) functional groups, the affinity of porous carbons for gas adsorption can be enhanced. Herein, the fast-growing eucalyptus bark based porous carbons were prepared by KOH activation and N, P co-doped modification. The resulting samples exhibited a maximum N2O adsorption capacity of 1.23 mmol/g, the highest N content of 4.98 at.% and P content of 1.91 at.%, respectively. In conjunction with the adsorption experiments, characterization and theoretical calculation, it was concluded that the N2O adsorption performance of the as-prepared porous carbon was greatly enhanced by the formation of N, P co-doped functional groups, which was approximately 2 times that of non-doped material. Moreover, the P-containing functional groups were found to have a significant impact on the enhancement of N2O adsorption, particularly the C-PO3, which was confirmed the highest binding energy for N2O adsorption. This study demonstrates that the highly efficient N2O adsorbents with excellent structural properties can be prepared by the appropriate N, P co-doping treatment, and provides a meaningful theoretical basis and practical guidance for the sustainable and efficient development of greenhouse gas adsorption.