Surfactant Assembly within Pickering Emulsion Droplets for Fabrication of Interior-Structured Mesoporous Carbon Microspheres.

ABSTRACT

Large-sized carbon spheres with controllable interior architecture are highly desired, but there is no method to synthesize these materials. Here, we develop a novel method to synthesize interior-structured mesoporous carbon microspheres (MCMs), based on the surfactant assembly within water droplet-confined spaces. Our approach is shown to access a library of unprecedented MCMs such as hollow MCMs, multi-chambered MCMs, bijel-structured MCMs, multi-cored MCMs, "solid" MCMs, and honeycombed MCMs. These novel structures, unattainable for the conventional bulk synthesis even at the same conditions, suggest an intriguing effect arising from the droplet-confined spaces. This synthesis method and the hitherto unfound impact of the droplet-confined spaces on the microstructural evolution open up new horizons in exploring novel materials for innovative applications.