Stable and accessible metal catalysts confined by mesoporous carbon structures derived from multicomponent colloidal spheres

Abstract

Mesoporous materials, such as mesoporous silica, mesoporous alumina and some mesoporous carbon materials, derived from various templates with rigid mesoporous structures are highly attractive as supports for designing noble metal nanoparticles due to their excellent thermal stability and good accessibility to the reactants. Herein, we report a novel strategy to fabricate porous graphite spheres with a well-defined mesoporous structure derived from 3D multicomponent colloidal spheres via a process comprising self-assembly, carbonization and selective etching. The as-prepared structures have porosity and rigidity that endow the metal nanoparticles (NPs) with an outstanding dispersity, thermal stability and accessibility, making them an excellent model catalyst.