Fullerenes And Related Structures

The aesthetically pleasing molecular architectures of fullerenes and nanotubes are appealing not only because of their beauty but also because they are responsible for the many unprecedented chemical and physical properties of this compound class. Although succession of exciting new discoveries continues unabated fullerene research has become a mature science. It is now possible to predict fullerene chemistry, to design new structure variations like open fullerene clusters, heterofullerenes and endohedral fullerenes, and to develop fullerene materials and modified nanotubes with high potential for technological applications. This volume represents the state-of-the-art of fullerene research, focussing on areas showing high potential for future growth and practical applications. The authors are leading scientists whose groups are making major contributions in the field.

Observational, experimental and analytical data show that C60, larger fullerenes, and related structures of elemental carbon exist in interstellar space, meteorites, and on Earth and are associated with meteorite in impact events and in carbon-rich environments such as coals (shungite) and bitumen. The existence of natural fullerenes is at best contested and incompletely documented; realistically it is still controversial. Their presence in astronomical environments can be experimentally constrained but observationally they remain elusive. Fullerenes formation in planetary environments is poorly understood. They survived for giga-years when the environmental conditions were exactly right but even then only a fraction of their original abundance survived. Natural fullerenes and related carbon structures are found in interstellar space, in carbonaceous meteorites associated with giant meteorite impacts (including at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary) as well as in soot, coal and natural bitumen. This book provides an up-to-date summary of the state of knowledge on natural fullerenes occurrences and the laboratory techniques used to determine their presence at low concentration in rock samples. It demonstrates that natural fullerenes exist and should be searched for in places not yet considered such as carbon-containing deep-seated crustal rocks. Natural Fullerenes and Related Structures of Elemental Carbon is written for professional astronomers, meteoriticists, earth and planetary scientists, biologists and chemists interested in carbon and hydrocarbon vapor condensation. It is an invaluable resource for practicing research scientists and science teachers in Earth and Planetary Science, Astronomy and Carbon Science.

Krätschmer and Huffman's revolutionary discovery of a new solid phase of carbon, solid C60, in 1990 opened the way to an entire new class of materials with physical properties so diverse that their richness has not yet been fully exploited. Moreover, as a by-product of fullerene research, carbon nanotubes were later identified, from which novel nanostructures originated that are currently fascinating materials scientists worldwide. Rivers of words have been written on both fullerenes and nanotubes, in the form of journal articles, conference proceedings and books. The present book offers, in a concise and self-contained manner, the basics of the science of these materials as well as detailed information on those aspects that have so far been better explored. Structural, electronic and dynamical properties are described as obtained from various measurements and state-of-the-art calculations. Their interrelation emerges as well as their possible dependence on, for example, preparation conditions or methods of investigation. By presenting and comparing data from different sources, experiment and theory, this book helps the reader to rapidly master the basic knowledge, to grasp important issues and critically discuss them. Ultimately, it aims to inspire him or her to find novel ways to approach still open questions. As such, this book is addressed to new researchers in the field as well as experts.

This is a 1999 book on carbon nanotubes, one of the most exciting areas in materials chemistry.

Written by the most prominent experts and pioneers in the field, this ready reference combines fundamental research, recent breakthroughs and real-life applications in one well-organized treatise. As such, both newcomers and established researchers will find here a wide range of current methods for producing and characterizing carbon nanotubes using imaging as well as spectroscopic techniques. One major part of this thorough overview is devoted to the controlled chemical functionalization of carbon nanotubes, covering intriguing applications in photovoltaics, organic electronics and materials design. The latest research on novel carbon-derived structures, such as graphene, nanoonions and carbon pea pods, round off the book.

To the eyes of a chemist, carbon is certainly one of the most fascinating elements of the periodic table. Basically, the electronic structure and atomic size of carbon enables this element to form a variety of bonds with other elements and, most importantly, with other carbon atoms as weIl. These unique features lead to the amazingly complicated molecular structures we encounter e. g. in life sciences and organic chemistry. Of course, the technical importance of carbon is enormou- but I don't want to carry too many coals to Newcastle. Prom the viewpoint of an astrophysicist or chemist, the significance of carbon lies in the fact that it is the most abundant condensable element in space. Born in the interior of stars, and from there expelled into the interstellar medium, it initiates the formation of simple and complex molecules and of nanoscopic grains. These in turn form huge clouds in space - the birthplace of new stars and planetary systems. The decisive role of carbon in interstellar chemistry is widely accepted and the search for more and more families of interstellar carbon-bearing molecules is a topic of ongoing research. The interdisciplinary aspect of carbon also concerns its various solid forms, in which C and the other closed-cage fullerenes are certainly some of the most popular 60 newcomers.