A co-sol-emulsion-gel synthesis of tunable and uniform hollow carbon nanospheres with interconnected mesoporous shells

Abstract

Monodispersed mesoporous hollow spheres of polymer–silica and carbon–silica nanocomposites with an “interpenetration twin” nanostructure have been successfully synthesized by a co-sol-emulsion-gel method. The obtained mesoporous hollow carbon spheres (MHCSs) exhibited an open interconnected mesoporous shell that is endowed with high specific surface area (S_BET, 2106–2225 m² g⁻¹) and large pore volume (1.95–2.53 cm³ g⁻¹). Interestingly, the diameter of the uniform MHCSs could be precisely tuned on demand, as an effective electrode material in supercapacitors, MHCSs with a diameter of 90 nm deliver the shortest time constant (τ₀ = 0.75 s), which is highly beneficial for rate capacitance (180 F g⁻¹ at 100 A g⁻¹, a full charge–discharge within 0.9 s) and cyclic retainability (3% loss after 20 000 cycles). The newly developed synthesis route leads to unique interconnected mesoporous hollow carbonaceous spheres with open-framework structures, providing a new material platform in energy storage.