Simplified Preparation of N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets Using EDTA Route

Amorphous carbon and its heteroatom-doped derivatives often exhibit wrinkled, defective, porous structures, and find wide applications in the fields of energy storage and catalysis. To date, although many methods for preparing doped carbon materials have been reported, the preparation process is rel...

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Main Authors: Denghu Wei, Zongfu Sun, Leilei Xu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Inorganics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6740/13/5/148
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author Denghu Wei
Zongfu Sun
Leilei Xu
author_facet Denghu Wei
Zongfu Sun
Leilei Xu
author_sort Denghu Wei
collection DOAJ
description Amorphous carbon and its heteroatom-doped derivatives often exhibit wrinkled, defective, porous structures, and find wide applications in the fields of energy storage and catalysis. To date, although many methods for preparing doped carbon materials have been reported, the preparation process is relatively complex, and there are still few simple methods available. Therefore, it is necessary to further develop simple and feasible preparation methods. In this study, we employed commercially available manganese disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA-Na<sub>2</sub>Mn, serving as both carbon and nitrogen sources) as the precursor. Through thermal decomposition under a nitrogen atmosphere, a nitrogen-doped carbon composite embedded with manganese monoxide (MnO) was initially obtained. Subsequently, hydrochloric acid etching was applied to remove the MnO phases, yielding the final product: nitrogen-doped carbon, denoted as C-N-Mn. Notably, the carbonization and nitrogen-doping processes were simultaneously accomplished during pyrolysis, thereby streamlining the synthesis route for nitrogen-doped carbons. To demonstrate the versatility of this approach, we extended the methodology to two additional metal–organic salts (EDTA-Na<sub>2</sub>Zn and EDTA-NaFe), successfully synthesizing nitrogen-doped carbon materials (C-N-Zn and C-M-Fe) in both cases. The phase composition, morphology, microstructure, specific surface area, and pore volume of the products were systematically characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning/transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and nitrogen adsorption/desorption analysis. These nitrogen-doped carbons exhibit high specific surface areas and tunable pore volumes, suggesting their potential applicability in energy storage systems.
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spelling doaj-art-5a4db2caf1394d1291e12cac1906be082025-08-20T01:56:31ZengMDPI AGInorganics2304-67402025-05-0113514810.3390/inorganics13050148Simplified Preparation of N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets Using EDTA RouteDenghu Wei0Zongfu Sun1Leilei Xu2School of Materials Science and Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, ChinaSchool of Materials Science and Physics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, ChinaSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, ChinaAmorphous carbon and its heteroatom-doped derivatives often exhibit wrinkled, defective, porous structures, and find wide applications in the fields of energy storage and catalysis. To date, although many methods for preparing doped carbon materials have been reported, the preparation process is relatively complex, and there are still few simple methods available. Therefore, it is necessary to further develop simple and feasible preparation methods. In this study, we employed commercially available manganese disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA-Na<sub>2</sub>Mn, serving as both carbon and nitrogen sources) as the precursor. Through thermal decomposition under a nitrogen atmosphere, a nitrogen-doped carbon composite embedded with manganese monoxide (MnO) was initially obtained. Subsequently, hydrochloric acid etching was applied to remove the MnO phases, yielding the final product: nitrogen-doped carbon, denoted as C-N-Mn. Notably, the carbonization and nitrogen-doping processes were simultaneously accomplished during pyrolysis, thereby streamlining the synthesis route for nitrogen-doped carbons. To demonstrate the versatility of this approach, we extended the methodology to two additional metal–organic salts (EDTA-Na<sub>2</sub>Zn and EDTA-NaFe), successfully synthesizing nitrogen-doped carbon materials (C-N-Zn and C-M-Fe) in both cases. The phase composition, morphology, microstructure, specific surface area, and pore volume of the products were systematically characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning/transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and nitrogen adsorption/desorption analysis. These nitrogen-doped carbons exhibit high specific surface areas and tunable pore volumes, suggesting their potential applicability in energy storage systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6740/13/5/148N-doped carbonthermolysisEDTA metal saltSynchronous carbonization and doping
spellingShingle Denghu Wei
Zongfu Sun
Leilei Xu
Simplified Preparation of N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets Using EDTA Route
Inorganics
N-doped carbon
thermolysis
EDTA metal salt
Synchronous carbonization and doping
title Simplified Preparation of N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets Using EDTA Route
title_full Simplified Preparation of N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets Using EDTA Route
title_fullStr Simplified Preparation of N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets Using EDTA Route
title_full_unstemmed Simplified Preparation of N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets Using EDTA Route
title_short Simplified Preparation of N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets Using EDTA Route
title_sort simplified preparation of n doped carbon nanosheets using edta route
topic N-doped carbon
thermolysis
EDTA metal salt
Synchronous carbonization and doping
url https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6740/13/5/148
work_keys_str_mv AT denghuwei simplifiedpreparationofndopedcarbonnanosheetsusingedtaroute
AT zongfusun simplifiedpreparationofndopedcarbonnanosheetsusingedtaroute
AT leileixu simplifiedpreparationofndopedcarbonnanosheetsusingedtaroute