Post doped nitrogen-decorated hollow carbon spheres as a support for Co Fischer-Tropsch catalysts

•Porous N-doped HCSs with different N bonding configurations synthesized.•Post synthesis doping allows for N-doped materials with thermal stabilities similar to N-free counterparts.•Metal-support interactions of Co/N−HCSs systems traces with H2-TPR and in situ PXRD reduction.•Fischer-Tropsch catalyst performance shown to be influenced by the post synthesis N-doped carbons.