A novel strategy was proposed to anchor ultrafine metal nanoparticles (NPs) on thin carbon sheets for highly stable and efficient heterogeneous catalysts. In this facile approach, a dense monolayer of ultrafine AuNPs was sandwiched between a silica core and a resin shell, followed by carbonization of the shell at a high temperature and then selective removal of the silica core. The shrinkage of the shells during carbonization facilitates partial embedment of the AuNPs on the carbon shell surface and provides superior stability against particle sintering during high temperature/mechanical post-treatments and catalytic reactions. It was also found that diffusion of reactants to the surface of AuNPs could be maximized by reducing the thickness of the hollow shells or simply by cracking the shells into thin carbon sheets, both significantly benefiting the catalytic efficiency. The advantages of this ultra-stable architecture together with the densely dispersed catalytic sites were demonstrated by their high stability and superior catalytic activity in reducing hydrophilic 4-nitrophenol and hydrophobic nitrobenzene.
