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Mesoporous transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), composed of group VI metals (Mo and W) and chalcogens (S and Se), with 2-D layered crystalline frameworks and 3-D pore structures were successfully prepared via a melting-infiltration assisted nano-replication method using a mesoporous template KIT-6 with cubic Ia3d symmetry. Combined analysis using X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption–desorption and electron microscopy indicated that the mesoporous TMDCs, thus obtained, exhibited high surface areas (87–105 m2 g−1), large pore volumes (0.21–0.25 cm3 g−1) and well-defined mesopores about 20 nm in diameters. The mesoporous TMDCs showed outstanding rate capabilities up to 2C as well as high reversible lithium storage capacities (MoS2 710 mA h g−1; MoSe2 744 mA h g−1; WS2 501 mA h g−1; WSe2 427 mA h g−1) without a remarkable fading of capacity.

A thin, uniform carbon coating on Na2/3Fe1/2Mn1/2O2 (NFMO) using 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene (DN) was prepared. Pristine and DN-coated samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). An amorphous nanolayer coating of carbon is obtained on the surface of the layered pristine material. The 0.2 wt% DN-coated NFMO exhibits excellent electrochemical performance. An initial discharge capacity of 178 mA h g−1 was obtained at a C-rate of 0.1 C; this capacity is 20% higher than bare NFMO. Capacity retention (77.8% at the 50th cycle) is also maintained comparable to bare NFMO (77.7% at the 50th cycle). The thin and uniform carbon layer leads to improvement of charging and discharging kinetics and protects against direct contact between cathode and electrolyte.

Highly ordered mesoporous SnO2 materials with residual silica species were successfully synthesized from a mesoporous silica template (SBA-15) via nano-replication and simple etching processes. A tin precursor, SnCl2·2H2O, was infiltrated spontaneously within the mesopores of the silica templates by melting the precursor at 353 K without using a solvent. After the heat-treatment of composite materials at 973 K under static air conditions, the controlled removal of silica templates using NaOH or HF solutions with different concentrations results in the successful preparation of mesoporous SnO2 materials, where the amounts of residual silica species are in the range 0.9–17.4 wt%. The residual silica species induce a nano-propping effect enabling the mesoporous SnO2 material (containing 6.0 wt% of silica species) to remain stable up to 973 K without any significant structural collapse. More importantly, the optimum amount of residual silica species (3.9–6.0 wt%) results in a dramatic reduction in capacity fading after prolonged charging–discharging cycles in Li-ion battery. The mesoporous SnO2 material with 3.9 wt% of silica species still exhibits a large capacity (about 600 mAh g−1) after the 30th cycle, which is probably because the residual silica species act as a physical barrier to suppress the aggregation of Sn clusters formed in the mesoporous SnO2 materials during the reversible lithium storage.