Controllable synthesis of porous tubular carbon by a Ag+-ligand-assisted Stober-silica/carbon assembly process

Herein, in this study, we utilized Ag+-ligand interactions for critically regulating the morphology of carbon by the Stober-silica/carbon co-assembly method for the first time. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and resorcinol/formaldehyde (RF) assemble upon dictation by Ag+ and pyridyl-functionalized surfactants, producing porous carbon tubes (RF1) with a high surface area of 696 m(2) g(-1) and accessible mesopores similar to 15 nm in size. Furthermore, when using tetrapropyl orthosilicate (TPOS) with a slower hydrolysis rate than that of TEOS, carbon tubes (RF2) with enhanced uniformity and a surface area as high as 2112 m(2) g(-1) are generated. Additionally, when using dopamine hydrochloride instead of RF as a carbon precursor, tubular polydopamine (TDA) with lengths of tens of microns is fabricated, which exhibits excellent catalytic activity toward oxygen reduction reactions in alkaline solutions due to its unique structural feature, a high surface area of 1350 m(2) g(-1), metallic silver remains of 8.3 wt%, and a rich nitrogen content of 3.6 wt%. This work sheds light on the engineering of a micellar soft template and synthesizing novel nanostructures by the extension of the Stober method.

Automated summary

In this study, Ag+-ligand interactions were used to control the morphology of carbon, resulting in the synthesis of carbon tubes and tubular polydopamine with different characteristics by the Stober-silica/carbon co-assembly method. These nanostructures exhibited excellent catalytic activity in reactions, showcasing potential for various applications.