An carbon molecular sieve for adsorbing water molecules in an alcohol solution to separate an alcohol from the water molecules, wherein the total volume of pores with an inlet diameter of 0.33 nm or more as determined by a molecular probe method is not less than 3 times the total volume of pores with an inlet diameter of 0.46 nm or more. This carbon molecular sieve is an alcohol concentration material that is capable of efficiently concentrating alcohol without performing a distillation step and that is easily reusable.

Disclosed herein are carbon molecular sieves and methods of making the same through the pyrolysis of a polymer precursor in the presence of a reactive gas stream including a hydrogen source.

Disclosed herein are carbon molecular sieves and methods of making the same through the pyrolysis of a polymer precursor in the presence of a reactive gas stream including a hydrogen source.

The rate of recovery of a purification target gas from a gas purification apparatus that uses a PSA device is improved, and both a high purity and a high recovery rate are achieved with good power efficiency. The present invention is directed to a gas purification method using the PSA method, in which a carbon molecular sieve having a pore volume, at a pore diameter of 0.38 nm or more, of not exceeding 0.05 cm.sup.3/g and a pore volume, at a pore diameter of 0.34 nm, of 0.15 cm.sup.3/g or more, in a pore diameter distribution measured by the MP method is used as an adsorbent, and, in an adsorption step, a miscellaneous gas is adsorbed from a source gas by bringing the source gas into contact with the adsorbent for 10 seconds or more and 6000 seconds or less so as to obtain a concentrated methane.

Provided are a carbon catalyst, an electrode, and a battery that exhibit excellent activity. A carbon catalyst according to one embodiment of the present invention has a carbon structure in which area ratios of three peaks f.sub.broad, f.sub.middle, and f.sub.narrow obtained by separating a peak in the vicinity of a diffraction angle of 26° in an X-ray diffraction pattern obtained by powder X-ray diffraction satisfy the following conditions (a) to (c): (a) f.sub.broad: 75% or more and 96% or less; (b) f.sub.middle: 3.2% or more and 15% or less; and (c) f.sub.narrow: 0.4% or more and 15% or less.

Provided are a carbon catalyst, an electrode, and a battery that exhibit excellent activity. A carbon catalyst according to one embodiment of the present invention has a carbon structure in which area ratios of three peaks f.sub.broad, f.sub.middle, and f.sub.narrow obtained by separating a peak in the vicinity of a diffraction angle of 26° in an X-ray diffraction pattern obtained by powder X-ray diffraction satisfy the following conditions (a) to (c): (a) f.sub.broad: 75% or more and 96% or less; (b) f.sub.middle: 3.2% or more and 15% or less; and (c) f.sub.narrow: 0.4% or more and 15% or less.

A novel method for producing a porous carbon material which makes it possible to easily produce a porous carbon material having a desired shape; and a spherical porous carbon material are provided. The method includes immersing a carbon-containing material having a desired shape and composed of a compound, alloy or non-equilibrium alloy containing carbon in a metal bath, the metal bath having a solidification point that is lower than a melting point of the carbon-containing material, the metal bath being controlled to a lower temperature than a minimum value of a liquidus temperature within a compositional fluctuation range extending from the carbon-containing material to carbon by decreasing the other non-carbon main components, to thereby selectively elute the other non-carbon main components into the metal bath while maintaining an external shape of the carbon-containing material to give a porous carbon material having microvoids.

A novel method for producing a porous carbon material which makes it possible to easily produce a porous carbon material having a desired shape; and a spherical porous carbon material are provided. The method includes immersing a carbon-containing material having a desired shape and composed of a compound, alloy or non-equilibrium alloy containing carbon in a metal bath, the metal bath having a solidification point that is lower than a melting point of the carbon-containing material, the metal bath being controlled to a lower temperature than a minimum value of a liquidus temperature within a compositional fluctuation range extending from the carbon-containing material to carbon by decreasing the other non-carbon main components, to thereby selectively elute the other non-carbon main components into the metal bath while maintaining an external shape of the carbon-containing material to give a porous carbon material having microvoids.

A method of forming a carbon molecular sieve membrane includes dissolving a halogenated precursor polymer in a solvent, thereby forming a dissolved halogenated precursor polymer. Homogeneously dehydrohalogenating the dissolved halogenated precursor polymer with an organic amine base to form a partially dehydrohalogenated polymer. Forming a thin film from the partially dehydrohalogenated polymer. Pyrolyzing the thin film to form the carbon molecular sieve membrane.

A method of forming a carbon molecular sieve membrane includes dissolving a halogenated precursor polymer in a solvent, thereby forming a dissolved halogenated precursor polymer. Homogeneously dehydrohalogenating the dissolved halogenated precursor polymer with an organic amine base to form a partially dehydrohalogenated polymer. Forming a thin film from the partially dehydrohalogenated polymer. Pyrolyzing the thin film to form the carbon molecular sieve membrane.