Covalent organic framework templated ordered nanoporous C60 as stable energy efficient supercapacitor electrode material

The unique π-electron conjugated system and high electron affinity makes fullerenes attractive candidate electrode materials for applications in energy storage devices. However, the low electrochemical accessibility ascribed to the poor textural properties of the fullerene nanostructures limits their performance in energy storage applications. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with synthetic controllability, structural predesignability, and functional manageability have emerged as a tunable molecular platform for complex and advanced structural design. In the present work, COF templated ordered nanoporous C60 ([C60]X–COF) is prepared for high-performance supercapacitor for the first time. The obtained [C60]X-COFs exhibit excellent electrochemical behavior. An asymmetric supercapacitor device (symbolized as ASC) ([C60]0.05-COF//rGO ASC) based on the ordered porous C60 optimizes the operating voltage window as high as 1.8 V and provides an excellent energy density of 21.4 Wh/kg at a power density of 900 W/kg (remaining 7200 W/kg with the downfall of the energy density of 16.7 Wh/kg). The assembled ASC device could illuminate a red LED light for 70 s, demonstrating its promising prospect for future energy storage. The knowledge gained here creating ordered porous fullerene C60 to improve its electrochemical accessibility via a nano-templating technique will open up new possibilities for electrode design targeting high energy density ASCs.