Mesoporous Carbon Nanosphere (CN05) for Supercapacitor and Catalyst Support, 5 g/bottle, CSCSMCNS

Mesoporous carbon nanospheres (MCNs) represent a specialized morphology that combines the high surface area of mesoporous carbon with the unique transport advantages of a spherical geometry. As a catalyst support for supercapacitors, they solve several "packaging" and "transport" problems that plague traditional bulk carbon or carbon blacks.

The spherical shape provides several physical advantages over irregular carbon flakes: (1) Interstitial Macropores: When nanospheres are packed into an electrode, they naturally create a network of "voids" between the spheres. This hierarchical structure (mesoporous internal structure + macroporous external voids) ensures that electrolyte ions can flood the entire electrode thickness almost instantly. (2) Short Diffusion Paths: In a bulk carbon particle, ions may have to travel deep into a "dead-end" pore. In a nanosphere (typically 100–500 nm in diameter), the maximum distance an ion must travel to reach an active site is limited to the radius of the sphere, enabling ultra-high power density. (3) Structural Integrity: Spheres distribute mechanical stress more evenly than irregular particles. During the charge/discharge cycles of a pseudocapacitive guest (which often involves swelling), the spherical matrix is less likely to crack or "pulverize."

When used to host "guests" such as MnO2, V2O5, or Ni-Fe hydroxides, MCNs act as a high-performance scaffold: (1) Uniform Catalyst Loading: The radial pore structure of MCNs (often "dendritic" or "sunflower-like") allows the catalyst to be deposited uniformly from the center to the surface. This prevents the "surface crust" problem where the catalyst only coats the outside of the carbon, blocking the internal pores. (2) High Conductive Contact: Every nanoparticle of the catalyst is in direct contact with the conductive carbon walls of the sphere. This is critical for semi-conductive oxides, as it ensures fast electron transfer to the current collector. (3) Nano-Confinement: The mesopores (2–10 um) physically prevent the catalyst particles from growing too large (Ostwald ripening). Smaller catalyst particles mean more active surface area and higher specific capacitance.

Notes: Please try to store the mesoporous carbon nanosphere powder in a dry place. 

References: 

1. Y. Dai, et al. Controlled Synthesis of Ultrathin Hollow Mesoporous Carbon Nanospheres for Supercapacitor Applications, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2014, 53, 8, 3125–3130.
2. J. Wei, et al. Controllable synthesis of mesoporous carbon nanospheres and Fe–N/carbon nanospheres as efficient oxygen reduction electrocatalysts, Nanoscale, 2015,7, 6247-6254.