Preparation of carbon micro-spheres by hydrothermal treatment of methylcellulose sol

Carbon microspheres with diameters of several micrometers have been synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of methylcellulose sol at 400 degrees C. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and Raman analysis. The formation mechanism of these spheres was discussed based on the feature of the reaction system. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.