Fullerene C<sub>76</sub>: An Unexplored Superior Electrode Material with Wide Operating Potential Window for High‐Performance Supercapacitors
Basant A. Ali, Ahmed H. Biby, Nageh K. Allam
Abstract
Abstract Carbon materials have widely been used to enhance the performance of a plethora of supercapacitor electrode materials. In this regard, it is crucial to identify carbon materials that function over a wide pH range while enjoying a wide potential window. Herein, the DFT calculations were used to elucidate the electronic performance of C 76 and the C 76 /electrolyte interface. The electronic investigation revealed the nature of the conductivity and charge storage mechanism of C 76 based on the bandgap and quantum capacitance calculations. Also, the electrochemical and electronic properties of fullerene C 76 have been extensively investigated over a wide pH range; acidic H 2 SO 4 , basic KOH, and neutral Na 2 SO 4 . The results showed a promising performance in the three electrolytes. Moreover, C 76 electrodes exhibited a potential window of 1.9 V in Na 2 SO 4 electrolyte, resulting in capacitances of 171 F/g and 142 F/g at a scan rate of 1 mV/s in the positive and negative potential windows, respectively. The material showed a pseudocapacitance performance of 65 % in Na 2 SO 4 electrolyte in the positive potential window. We believe higher fullerenes provide a new class of materials for developing versatile supercapacitor devices for efficient energy storage.