Self-assembly graphene into fullerenes and hollow spherical graphene particles during anodic polarization of graphite

This study reports the self-assembly of graphene, obtained by anodic polarization of graphite in an ethanol-water-NaOH electrolyte, into fullerenes and hollow spherical graphene particles. MALDI mass spectrometry and UV–Vis spectroscopy confirmed that smaller fullerenes (C55, C60) and larger species with AMU up to 1951 Da (equivalent to C160) emerged after purification and centrifugation. SEM and AFM revealed the presence of hollow spherical particles, while HRTEM identified agglomerates of both small and giant fullerenes. During the synthesis, hydroxyl radicals (●OH) and hydroxide ions (OH−) acted as co-reactants and cleaved graphite with consequent production of fullerene-based structures. This room-temperature electrochemical approach offers scalable, bottom-up synthesis of novel carbon-based nanomaterials as well as organic compounds.