Enhancing graphitization and mesoporosity by cobalt in activated carbons obtained from peach stone

Activated carbon (AC) is a common material of choice in catalysis, as it is a suitable support material for many catalytic reactions. In this work, the effect of cobalt nanoparticles on activated carbon derived from a biomass waste, peach stone, is reported. The presence of cobalt during heat treatments at 900 °C under reductive (H₂) and inert (He) atmospheres resulted in the appearance of an intense 2D band in the Raman spectra, indicating a high degree of graphitization. Temperature-programmed reduction and desorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the activation reactions. Quenched solid density functional theory (QSDFT) analysis using N₂ adsorption data revealed that cobalt increased pore development in the samples, regardless of the atmosphere (reductive or inert) used.