Fullerenes and Its’ Derivatives: Marvels in Supercapacitor Technology

Nanocarbons are one of the most popular electrode constituents employed to enhance the performance of multifunctional supercapacitors. Fullerenes, the unique zero-dimensional nanocarbons, particularly the C60 variety, have been widely explored in designing high-performing supercapacitors for their unique structural, optical, electrical, thermal, mechanical, and other superior characteristic features. Various fullerene-derived micro-/nanostructured materials have been employed in the formulations of smart electrodes with excellent electrical conductivity, improved charge mobility and enhanced electrochemical activity for advanced energy storage applications. Further, the functionalized fullerenes facilitate easy coupling with suitable semiconducting components to form diversified heterostructures with smooth interfaces, facilitating easy and ultrafast charge transfer phenomena, leading to boosted electrochemical activity in addition to enhanced mechanical tenacity. Fullerenes also serve as essential fillers in binary/ternary/polynary nanocomposite electrodes to obtain versatile, large surface-based, cross-linked architectures with optimum porosity for uninterrupted ion and electron transfer processes. Thus, meticulously engineered fullerene-based materials are laying the foundations for manufacturing flexible electrochemical energy storage devices, intended for advanced technical applications in vivid high-tech arenas. This chapter highlights the recent progress of fullerene-based nanomaterials, embracing the existing challenges confronted and the plausible prospects that are evolving with this highly promising nanocarbons system in the domain of supercapacitor technology.