Cl2 Adsorption and Desorption over Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Materials as an Indicator for Catalytic Phosgene Formation

The presented work evaluates the implementation of adsorption and desorption experiments with Cl2 over carbon materials towards the development of more active and stable catalysts for industrial phosgene synthesis. By using a soft templating method as a tool, ordered mesoporous carbon materials with tunable porosity, surface area, and degree of graphitization were synthesized and utilized as model system. The Cl2 adsorption/desorption properties of these materials were studied and compared to commercial activated carbon. To draw correlations between Cl2 adsorption/desorption behavior and catalytic performance, the materials were further tested in the phosgene formation in a plug flow reactor. However, the chemical reaction of Cl2 with carbon during the adsorption/desorption experiment hinders a direct correlation.