Nano-structured Hollow Carbon Materials from a Non-isothermal Chemical Vapor Deposition of Polyphenols

Summary of main observation and conclusion Pyrogallic acid (PG) was used as a modeling carbon source in fabricating nano-structured hollow carbon materials (HCMs) by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. We found that non-isothermal deposition can improve the integrity of the obtained HCMs. The different pyrolyzed species from PG under varied temperatures lead to the temperature-dependent deposition yield, graphitization degree and morphology of the HCMs. HCMs including hollow spheres of varied sizes, cubic boxes with yolk-shell structure, nanotubes, mesoporous particles and double-shelled fibers, were prepared by using different templates, demonstrating the universality of this strategy. The carbon source has been extended to other plant polyphenols. The abundant and renewable solid precursors for CVD method endow this strategy excellent operation safety, improved storage and transportation convenience and low cost, and would boost the production of morphology- and size-controlled HCMs and their applications in the fields such as water treatment, electrode materials, adsorbent, drug delivery, and so forth.