Controlled Synthesis of Ultrathin Hollow Mesoporous Carbon Nanospheres for Supercapacitor Applications

Ultrathin, uniform and monodisperse hollow mesoporous carbon nanospheres (HMCNs) with a thickness of similar to 3.8 nm have been synthesized. The obtained HMCNs have a high specific surface area (568 m(2) g(-1)), large pore volume (1.63 cm(3) g(-1)), and highly accessible mesopores (similar to 9.1 nm). Notably, we realized precise control of the shell thickness in the range of ultrathin size (<10 nm). When applied as supercapacitor electrodes, the HMCNs demonstrate impressive capacitive properties, such as high specific capacitance (253 F g(-1)), excellent rate capability (111 F g(-1) at 60 A g(-1)) and outstanding cycling stability (only 3.8% loss after 5000 cycles). The results suggest that the unique structure of HMCNs can allow high rate electrolyte infiltration and rapid ion diffusion. The present findings push forward the development of carbon materials, exhibiting huge potential for applications in energy storage fields.