The development of fullerenes in recent years is reviewed in this paper. Various preparation methods and purification technologies of different types of fullerenes are introduced and compared in detail, advantages and disadvantages of which are discussed. The emphasis on basic study, macroscopic preparation and potential applications of fullerenes is presented. Our work about onion like fullerenes is also stated, especially on formation of giant onion like fullerens under Al nanoparticles and multiple nuclei onion like fullerenes cultivated by electron beam irradiation.