Preparation of carbon micro-spheres by hydrothermal treatment of methylcellulose sol

Carbon microspheres with diameters of several micrometers have been synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of methylcellulose sol at 400 °C. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and Raman analysis. The formation mechanism of these spheres was discussed based on the feature of the reaction system.