Transforming Nanoarchitectonics of Solvated Fullerene Single Crystals into Ultrahigh Specific Surface Area C₆₀ Microtubes for Exceptional Raman Sensing Performances

Preparation of crystalline fullerene (C60) nanoarchitectonics with ultrahigh specific surface area is crucial for their practical applications. Here, solvated C60 microtubes were prepared by an improved liquid–liquid interfacial precipitation method, and a seed-induced growth mechanism was proposed. These solvated C60 microtubes were found to be converted into highly crystalline C60 mesoporous microtubes by rapid microwave heating without any graphitization. The C60 mesoporous microtubes show an ultrahigh surface area of 785.3 m2 g–1 and a pore volume of 0.86 cm3 g–1. Highly crystalline C60 mesoporous nanobelts and nanowires with an ultrahigh specific surface area are also obtained by this method. As a new type of semiconductor substrate, the C60 mesoporous microtubes exhibit exceptional Raman sensing performances, and the Raman enhancement factor is as high as 6.57 × 107. Experimental tests and density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the enhanced Raman activity can be attributed to an effective interfacial charge transfer within the C60/molecule system.