Preparation and applications of mesoporous carbon spheres via combination of hydrothermal and soft-templating

Mesoporous carbon spheres integrate the advantages of carbon materials with spherical colloids, including excellent fluidity, dispersity, conductivity and the controllability of their particle sizes and pore sizes, making them able to be applied in biology, catalysis, adsorption and electrochemistry. Recently, hydrothermal/soft-templating method, as a promising way to prepare mesoporous carbon spheres, is widely reported. The spherical morphology and mesoporous structure can be controlled through hydrothermal carbonization and soft template, respectively. This review presented the preparation of mesoporous carbon spheres and the control of its pore size and particle size by using hydrothermal carbonization and soft template together. Moreover, the modification and application of mesoporous carbon spheres were covered. The selection of carbon precursor, soft template and solvent were also summarized, and the perspectives of its research directions on various applications were proposed. © 2021, Chemical Industry Press Co., Ltd. All right reserved.