Ordered mesoporous CMK-3 carbon replicas were synthesized by infiltration of mesopores present in a SBA-15 silica template with two different carbon precursors, i.e. sucrose and poly(furfuryl alcohol). The obtained composites were carbonized under an inert gas atmosphere at 550, 650, 750 and 850 °C, and the template was etched with a HF solution. The final carbon replicas were analyzed by various physicochemical techniques, including low-temperature N2 adsorption, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and tested as catalysts in the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODP) at 450 °C. Both series of materials differed strongly with respect to their porosity, but showed very similar surface composition determined by XPS. Higher porosity of CMK-3 prepared using the sucrose precursor influenced propane conversion and selectivity to propene. Furthermore, oxygen containing groups (e.g. carbonyl-type) were found to be less sensitive to the type of carbon precursor than to the ODP reaction conditions.
