Single-Step Synthesis of 2D Mesoporous C60/Carbon Hybrids for Supercapacitor and Li-Ion Battery Applications

The design of advanced carbon-based electrodes with unique electronic, electrical and textural properties is crucial for the development of high-performance energy storage devices. Here, we report on the fabrication of ordered mesoporous fullerene/carbon hybrids through nanotemplating approach by mixing the fullerene precursor in chloronaphthalene with different amount of sucrose using SBA-15 as a template. The characterization data reveal that the prepared materials exhibit an ordered structure with much better textural parameters than pure mesoporous fullerene. The surface properties can be controlled with the simple adjustment of the sucrose molecules in the synthesis mixture. The prepared materials are used as electrodes for supercapacitance and Li-ion battery applications. The optimized sample offers the specific capacitance of 213 F/g at 0.5 A/g which is much higher than that of activated carbon, MWCNT, ordered mesoporous carbon and mesoporous C-60. The same sample also delivers the discharge capacities of 1299 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g, demonstrating the best Li-ion battery performance. These data reveal the importance of carbon coating on the mesoporous fullerene for energy storage devices as it facilitates the easy electron transport between the fullerene molecules and further supports the accessibility and diffusion of the electrolytes due to high specific surface area.