Template-assisted synthesis of multi-shelled carbon hollow spheres with an ultralarge pore volume as anode materials in Li-ion batteries

Abstract

By reinventing single-shelled silica hollow spheres and double-shelled silica hollow spheres as the permeable templates, double and quadruple shell carbon hollow spheres are prepared. For this intriguing architecture, the ultralarge pore volume (3.02 cm³ g⁻¹) and the ultrahigh Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface areas (∼1534 m² g⁻¹) endow the multi-shelled carbon hollow structures with a high reversible capacity (∼978 mA h g⁻¹). Remarkably, a high capacity of 753 mA h g⁻¹ at both low and high current densities can still be attained after 75 cycles. Such a breathable structure makes the multi-shelled hollow structure a superior anode material for a Li-ion battery.