A simple method to prepare monodisperse and size-tunable carbon nanospheres from phenolic resin

Monodisperse and uniform carbon nanospheres with diameter in the range of 300–1000 nm were prepared by simple hydrothermal synthesis and subsequent carbonization. Phenol precursor and the curing agent hexamethylenetetramine were used to produce phenolic resin nanospheres in aqueous solutions. The size and surface morphologies of nanospheres can be controlled by varying the concentration of curing agent. The surface areas of carbon nanospheres are 473.58, 454.08, and 467.23 m2/g, corresponds to the diameter of 840, 420, and 340 nm, respectively.