This study is led by Dr. Shaojun Dong (Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences). At the beginning of this work, researchers wanted to design a simple method to synthesize Co nanoparticles. This is because that the Co NPs are very active for various catalytic reactions such as dehydrogenation and hydrogenation reactions, the selective oxidation of alcohols, and Fischer–Tropsch syntheses. Encapsulation of Co NPs with porous carbon is an effective approach for preventing aggregation and leaching of Co NPs, thus improving their activity and stability. "In most synthesis methods, the carbon sources are often solid materials, which need additional solvent to dissolve and re-separate. If these carbon sources can be melted and used as solvents, the synthesis steps will be greatly simplified" Shaojun says.