Designed synthesis of ordered mesoporous graphene spheres from colloidal nanocrystals and their application as a platform for high-performance lithium-ion battery composite electrodes

Three-dimensional (3D) graphene has recently attracted enormous attention for electrochemical energy storage applications. However, current methods suffer from an inability to simultaneously control and engineer the porosity and morphology of the graphene frameworks. Here, we report the designed synthesis of ordered mesoporous graphene spheres (OMGSs) by transformation of self-assembled Fe₃O₄ nanocrystal superlattices. The resultant OMGSs have an ultrathin framework comprising few-layered graphene, with highly ordered and interconnected mesoporosity and a high surface area. These advantageous structural and textural features, in combination with the excellent electrical conductivity of the graphitic frameworks, render the OMGSs an ideal and general platform for creating hybrid materials that are well suited for use as composite electrodes in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). As a proof-of-concept demonstration, SnO₂ and GeO₂ nanoparticles are incorporated into the OMGSs to afford SnO₂@OMGSs and GeO₂@OMGSs, respectively, both of which exhibit outstanding lithium storage properties when used as LIB anodes.