In this work, highly porous carbons were prepared by chemical activation of carbonized biomass-derived aerogels. These aerogels were synthesized from watermelon flesh using a hydrothermal reaction. After carbonization, chemical activation was conducted using potassium hydroxide to enhance the specific surface area and microporosity. The micro-structural properties and morphologies were measured by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The specific surface area and microporosity were investigated by N2/77 K adsorption-desorption isotherms using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda equation, respectively. Hydrogen storage capacity was dependent on the activation temperature. The highest capacity of 2.7 wt% at 77 K and 1 bar was obtained with an activation temperature of 900°C.

Abstract
 1. Introduction
 2. Experimental
  2.1. Materials and preparation
  2.2. Measurements
 3. Results and Discussion
  3.1. Characterization
  3.2. Hydrogen storage capacities
 4. Conclusions
 Acknowledgments
 References

• Yong-Ki Choi(Department of Chemistry, Inha University, Incheon 402-751, Korea)
• Soo-Jin Park(Department of Chemistry, Inha University, Incheon 402-751, Korea) Corresponding author