Effect of nickel electroplating on HCl removal efficiency of activated carbon fibers

In this study, nickel (Ni) electroplating on the surface of activated carbon fibers (ACFs) was carried out to remove toxic hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas. The surface properties of the ACFs were determined by using nitrogen adsorption isotherms at 77 K, and SEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. The HCl removal efficiency was confirmed by using a gas-detecting tube technique. The nickel content on the ACFs increased upon increasing the plating time. It was found that the specific surface area and the micropore volume of the ACFs studied decreased slightly upon increasing the plating time. The HCl removal efficiency of ACFs containing nickel was higher than that of the untreated ACFs. These results indicate that the presence of nickel on the ACFs plays an important role in improving the HCl removal over the Ni/ACFs; presumably it is due to the catalytic reactions between nickel and chlorine.