Earth-abundant metal-based nanostructured materials have been widely studied for potential energy conversion and storage. However, controlled synthesis of functional nanostructures with high electron conductivity, high reaction activity, and structural stability is still a formidable challenge for further practical applications. Herein, for the first time, we develop a facile, efficient, and general method for the oriented synthesis of precise carbon-confined nanostructures by low-pressure vapor superassembly of a thin metal–organic framework (MOF) shell and subsequent controlled pyrolysis. The selected nanostructured metal oxide precursors not only act as metal ion sources but also orient the superassembly of gaseous organic ligands through the coordination reactions under the low-pressure condition, resulting in the formation of a tunable MOF shell on their surfaces. This strategy is further successfully extended to obtain various precise carbon-confined nanostructures with diverse compositions and delicate morphologies. Notably, these as-prepared carbon-confined architectures exhibit outstanding electrochemical performances in water splitting and lithium storage. The remarkable performances are mainly attributed to the synergistic effect from appropriate chemical compositions and stable carbon-confined structures. This synthetic approach and proposed mechanism open new avenues for the development of functional nanostructured materials in many frontier fields.

中文翻译：

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低压蒸汽超组装和可控热解法的一般定向合成精确的含碳纳米结构

已经广泛研究了富含地球的金属基纳米结构材料的潜在能量转换和存储。然而，具有高电子传导性，高反应活性和结构稳定性的功能性纳米结构的受控合成对于进一步的实际应用仍然是一个巨大的挑战。在此，我们首次开发了一种通过薄金属-有机骨架（MOF）壳的低压蒸汽超组装和随后的受控热解，定向合成精确的含碳纳米结构的简便，高效且通用的方法。所选的纳米结构金属氧化物前体不仅充当金属离子源，而且还通过低压条件下的配位反应来定向气态有机配体的超组装，导致在其表面上形成可调MOF壳。进一步成功地扩展了该策略，以获得具有各种组成和精细形态的各种精确的碳限制的纳米结构。值得注意的是，这些制备的碳限制结构在水分解和锂存储中表现出出色的电化学性能。出色的性能主要归因于适当的化学成分和稳定的碳封闭结构的协同作用。这种合成方法和提出的机制为许多前沿领域的功能纳米结构材料的开发开辟了新途径。值得注意的是，这些制备的碳限制结构在水分解和锂存储中表现出出色的电化学性能。出色的性能主要归因于适当的化学成分和稳定的碳封闭结构的协同作用。这种合成方法和提出的机制为许多前沿领域的功能纳米结构材料的开发开辟了新途径。值得注意的是，这些制备的碳限制结构在水分解和锂存储中表现出出色的电化学性能。出色的性能主要归因于适当的化学成分和稳定的碳封闭结构的协同作用。这种合成方法和提出的机制为许多前沿领域的功能纳米结构材料的开发开辟了新途径。