Synthesis, characterization and charge storage properties of C₆₀-fullerene microparticles as a flexible negative electrode for supercapacitors

Flexible supercapacitors (SCs) have shown great potential for portable electronic devices due to ultra-long lifetime and high power characteristics. However, low energy densities of SCs hinder their practical applications. Herein, mesoporous C₆₀ fullerene micro-particles (mCF) are prepared using Krätschmer-Huffman method, followed by solvent extraction and column chromatography for purification. The as-prepared mCF is characterized by XRD, EIMS, XPS, EDX, SEM, Raman spectroscopy and BET analysis, respectively. The mCF supported on carbon cloth (mCF@CC) is used as the electrode to study charge storage properties. The mCF@CC exhibits excellent capacitance of 440 F/g at 2 A/g, good rate capability of 84.85% at high current density of 12 A/g and stable life up to 10000 cycles. Additionally, the mCF@CC electrode possesses good flexible characteristics and presents almost same performance after 1000 bending cycles. Thus, mesoporous C₆₀ fullerene micro-particles can be employed as negative electrode material for the flexible next generation supercapacitors.