A sol-gel assembly process was developed for the synthesis of magnetic core/carbon shell materials with porous networks. Fe(CO) 5 was assembled into the pore channels of mesoporous silica via a sol-gel method at 18 C, by using the block copolymer F127 as the template and Fe(CO) 5 as an additional precursor. At this temperature, the magnetic precursor Fe(CO) 5 was pre-organized into hydrophobic cores of micelles by self-assembly of F127. In the subsequent carbonization of the assembly under an

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... atmosphere, Fe(CO) 5 transformed into magnetic nanoparticles and surfactant F127 transferred into carbon shells enveloping the magnetic nanoparticles, forming magnetic iron oxide core/carbon shell structures. The removal of the silica with 5% HF acid resulted in the core/shell nanoporous composite. The obtained system demonstrates a saturation magnetic value of 3 emu g À1 as well as a high surface area (98 cm 2 g À1 ) and pore volume (0.21 m 3 g À1 ), which would benefit its potential applications as adsorbents and catalysts, or applications in targeted drug delivery systems. This facile strategy would provide an efficient approach for tailoring core/shell porous materials with desired functionalities and structures by adjusting precursors and structure-directing agents.