Special adsorbent for carbon dioxide acquisition on mars

A method of making a carbon dioxide adsorbent, comprising the step of:

• polymerizing a monomer to produce a precursor material in the absence of a cross-linking agent;
• and
• heating said precursor material in a stepped fashion;
• carbonizing said shaped precursor material to produce said adsorbent,
• whereby said adsorbent is characterized by a weight that is from 0.0063 to 0.0092 g, a total micropore volume of at least about 0.525 cm3/g, a median pore diameter between about 0.439 to 0.443 nm, and a carbon dioxide capacity of at least about 28.6% g/g at a carbon dioxide partial pressure of about 6 mm Hg and a temperature of about 196° K.

A method of making a carbon dioxide adsorbent, comprising the step of:

• polymerizing a monomer in the absence of a cross-linking agent to produce a precursor material characterized by a particle size between about 4 to about 100 micrometers;
• shaping said precursor material to produce a shaped precursor material characterized by a length to diameter ratio of about 1;
• heating said shaped precursor material in a stepped fashion,
• carbonizing said shaped precursor material to produce said adsorbent,
• whereby said adsorbent is characterized by a BET surface area between about 1064 to 1150 m2/g, a Langmuir surface area between about 1271 to 1407 m2/g, a total micropore volume between about 0.525 to 0.580 cm3/g, a median pore diameter between about 0.439 to 0.443 nm, and a carbon dioxide capacity of at least about 28.6% g/g at a carbon dioxide partial pressure of about 6 mm Hg and a temperature of about 196° K.