Precisely controlled resorcinol–formaldehyde resin coating for fabricating core–shell, hollow, and yolk–shell carbon nanostructures

This work provides a facile one-step sol–gel route to synthesize high-quality resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF) resin coated nanocomposites that can be further used to fabricate desired carbon nanostructures. Colloidal particles with different morphologies and sizes can be coated with high-quality RF resin shells by the proposed cationic surfactant assisted RF resin coating strategy. The as-synthesized RF resin coated nanocomposites are ideal candidates for selective synthesis of core–shell, hollow, and yolk–shell carbon nanostructures. Based on the carboxylic functional RF resin coating, graphitic carbon nanostructures can also be synthesized by employing the graphitization catalyst. The as-synthesized carbon nanostructures show the advantageous performances in several applications. Hollow carbon spheres are potential electrode materials for lithium–sulfur batteries. Hollow graphitic spheres are promising catalyst supports for oxygen reduction reaction. And yolk–shell structured Au@HCS nanoreactors with ultrathin shells exhibit high catalytic activity and recyclability in confined catalysis.