Patent ID: 8709972

Claim:
A method of forming an activated carbon: providing a carbon material which is either a carbon or a carbon precursor, wherein the carbon material is a fiber having a diameter that has a value in the range from about 7 microns to 20 microns; coating the carbon material with nanoparticles; if the carbon material is a carbon precursor, then the following processes are performed subsequent to the coating the carbon material with nanoparticles: carbonizing the carbon material to form a carbonized material; catalytically activating the carbonized material in air and an inert gas to form a catalytically activated carbon; wherein the mass of the catalytically activated carbon is lower than the mass of the carbon material; and activating the catalytically activated carbon in steam or carbon dioxide to form an activated carbon; wherein the mass of the activated carbon is lower than the mass of the catalytically activated carbon and wherein the activated carbon is mesoporous; and if the carbon material is not a carbon precursor, then the following processes are performed subsequent to the coating the carbon material with nanoparticles: catalytically activating the carbon material in air and an inert gas to form a catalytically activated carbon; wherein the mass of the catalytically activated carbon is lower than the mass of the carbon material; and activating the catalytically activated carbon in steam or carbon dioxide to form an activated carbon; wherein the mass of the activated carbon is lower than the mass of the catalytically activated carbon and wherein the activated carbon is mesoporous.