We present here a novel and simple synthetic strategy for fabricating superparamagnetic nanomagnets randomly dispersed in porous carbons. The method can be basically considered as a pyrolysis performed inside the restricted volume formed by the pores of an activated carbon. Such magnetic porous materials exhibit large surface areas (up to 1600 m2 g-1), high pore volumes (up to 1.0 cm3 g-1), and a porosity made up of accessible pores. An additional advantage of this method is its versatility, which allows composites with tunable magnetic properties to be obtained. In this way, it is possible to obtain superparamagnetic composites that can be easily manipulated by an external magnetic field.

The financial support for this research provided by the MEC (MAT2005-00262, MAT2005-03179, and NANO2004-08805-C04-01) is gratefully acknowledged.

5 pages, 6 figures.

Peer reviewed