Mesocrystals are macroscopic structures formed by the assembly of nanoparticles that possess distinct surface structures and collective properties when compared to traditional crystalline materials. Various growth mechanisms and their unique features have promise as material design tools for diverse potential applications. This paper presents a straightforward method for metal–organic coordination-based mesocrystals using nickel ions and terephthalic acid. The coordinative compound between Ni2+ and terephthalic acid drives the particle-mediated growth mechanism, resulting in the mesocrystal formation through a mesoscale assembly. Subsequent carbonization converts mesocrystals to multidirectional interconnected graphite nanospheres along the macroscopic framework while preserving the original structure of the Ni-terephthalic acid mesocrystal. Comprehensive investigations demonstrate that multi-oriented edge sites and high crystallinity with larger interlayer spacing facilitate lithium ion transport and continuous intercalation. The resulting graphitic superparticle electrodes show superior rate capability (128.6 mAh g− 1 at 5 A g− 1) and stable cycle stability (0.052% of capacity decay per cycle), certifying it as an advanced anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

Superparticle of multidirectional graphitic nanospheres derived from metal–organic mesocrystal for fast-chargeable lithium-ion battery anode
    Abstract
    1 Introduction
    2 Experimental
        2.1 Preparation of NGSe
        2.2 Characterization
        2.3 Electrochemical analysis
    3 Result and discussion
    4 Conclusions
    Acknowledgements 
    References

• Jae Seo Park(Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Education and Research Center for Smart Energy and Materials, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea)
• Yeon Jeong Jeong(Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Education and Research Center for Smart Energy and Materials, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea)
• Dong Yoon Park(Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea)
• Hyunji Shin(Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Education and Research Center for Smart Energy and Materials, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea)
• Da Hee Jang(Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Education and Research Center for Smart Energy and Materials, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea)
• So Eun Kim(Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Education and Research Center for Smart Energy and Materials, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea)
• Jeong Heon Ryu(Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Education and Research Center for Smart Energy and Materials, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea)
• Seo Mi Yang(Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Education and Research Center for Smart Energy and Materials, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea)
• Jang‑Yul Kim(Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (RIST), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea)
• Jae Ho Kim(Department of Nanoenergy Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea)
• Seung Jae Yang(Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Education and Research Center for Smart Energy and Materials, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea) Corresponding author