Macaroni Fullerene Crystals-Derived Mesoporous Carbon Tubes as a High Rate Performance Supercapacitor Electrode Material

Self-assembled macaroni fullerene C-60 crystals (MFCs) of uniform shape and narrow size distribution are produced using the dynamic liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation method under ambient conditions. High temperature heat treatment (900 degrees C) of MFCs yields mesoporous carbons tubes (MCTs) retaining the initial morphology. This novel mesoporous carbon material exhibits excellent electrochemical supercapacitive performance due to high surface areas (1544 m(2) g(-1)), large pore volume (2.936 cm(3) g(-1)) and interconnected porous structures. In a three-electrode aqueous electrolyte system, the electrode achieved high specific capacitance ca. 422 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A g(-1) followed by excellent cycling stability (>95%) after 10,000 charging-discharging cycles at 20 A g(-1). We believe that the novel mesoporous carbon material derived from a pi-electron carbon source can be used as an alternative electrode material in advanced supercapacitor devices.