An X-ray spectroscopy study of the electronic structure of tolylene-diisocyanate carbonization products in an Al2O3 matrix

Results of studies of the electronic structure of carbon-containing porous materials derived by tolylene-diisocyanate (TDI) carbonization in a matrix of Al2O3 are presented in this paper. It has been established that products of TDI carbonization are fine spherical clusters (with their sizes of about 10 nm) that reveal a strong bonding with the matrix. The shapes of X-ray emission CKα and OKα bands are different for volume and surface parts of the materials. Our study reveals different electronic structures of the materials in volume and surface parts. It has been established that the shape of the X-ray emission CKα band of the volume part of products of carbonization of TDI in the Al2O3 matrix corresponds to that of mixture of the bands of fullerene C60 and graphite, but the shape of the band of the surface part resembles that of the CKα band of graphite. The shape of the X-ray emission OKα band of the volume part of the products of TDI carbonization resembles that of the band of γ-Al2O3, while that of the surface part corresponds to the shape of the OKα band of Al(OH)3.