Single-Crystalline C60 Nanostructures by Sonophysical Preparation: Tuning Hollow Nanobowls as Catalyst Supports for Methanol Oxidation

Large-scale single-crystalline hollow nanobowls of pure C-60 were prepared by applying a sonophysical strategy in a binary organic solution. Through the simple adjustment of the concentration of the C-60/m-xylene solution and the volume ratio of m-xylene to acetonitrile, C-60 nanorings, nano-plates, nanorods, and nanowires were also selectively synthesized. The promise of the C-60 hollow structures as Pt catalyst supports is heightened by the significantly enhanced catalytic activity toward methanol oxidation for a given amount of C-60 used, which demonstrates their potential application in fuel cells.