This contribution describes the facile preparation of functional yolk shell nanoparticles (YSNs) made up of different compositions confined within a hollow porous carbon shell (M@Carbon, M = multiple Cu, NiO nanoparticles or ZnO nanowires). These new yolk-shell hybrid materials have been successfully synthesized using metal-oleate complex and phenolic resin monomers as raw materials through a one-step co-pyrolysis method. A relevant characteristic of these yolk shell composites is the excellent thermal stability. The Cu@Carbon nanospheres with diameters ranging from 330 to 390 nm and cavity size ranging from 190 to 220 nm can be controlled by varying synthetic parameters. Comprehensive characterizations reveal that Cu-oleate complex, benefiting from the oleate bilayer, serves as an organometallic precursor while simultaneously acting as a soft template for the formation process. The resultant Cu@Carbon nanocomposite exhibits a promising catalytic properties toward DMC synthesis via oxidative carbonylation of methanol. Taking such complex as precursor, a single-step synthetic fashion is expected to simplify the preparation of yolk carbon shell nanostructure. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.