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, nanoplates, 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.