The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Heteroatom-doped carbon can enhance catalytic activity by adjusting the electron density of carbon atoms. Accordingly, biomass-derived carbon materials that inherently contain carbon and nitrogen have attracted attention. Chitosan possesses a high nitrogen content (~7 wt%) due to its N-containing functional groups. In addition, its abundant functional groups enable coordination bonding with transition metal ions. Therefore, chitosan has been explored as a promising precursor for transition metal–nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts. In this study, an emulsion process was employed as a strategy to form chitosan microspheres to enhance surface area and dispersibility. By controlling process variables, spherical chitosan microspheres were successfully prepared and subsequently carbonized. The cabonized microspheres retained their original spherical structure, indicating their potential as nitrogen-containing carbon support materials with high specific surface area.