A carbon layer with controlled thickness can be coated on the surface of mesoporous silica through the hydrothermal carbonization strategy.
A simple and facile one-pot sol–gel method is proposed for the fabrication of hollow mesoporous silica particles. Both the particle size and the shell thickness can be well controlled.
Mesoporous silica–carbon composites fabricated by a universal strategy of hydrothermal carbonization: controllable synthesis and applications