Hollow porous carbon nanospheres with large surface area and stability, assembled from oxidized fullerenes

Hollow porous carbon nanospheres with large surface area and stability were self-assembled using gentle oxidization of fullerenes. The C60 framework, functional groups, composition, structure, surface area and stability of the nanospheres were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, solid state 13C NMR spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, adsorption and thermogravimetric analysis. The narrow distribution of the nanospheres was centred on 8 nm, the BET surface area was 222.63 m2 g−1, and the residue at 1000 °C was 75%. Thus, a novel nanomaterial with the highest surface area and highest stability in the family of fullerenes has been prepared.