Physics Chemistry Of Fullerenes

In September 1985, in an attempt to simulate the chemistry in a carbon star, Harry Kroto, Bob Curl and Richard Smalley set up a mass spectrometry experiment to study the plasma produced by focusing a pulsed laser on solid graphite. Serendipitously, a dominant 720 amu mass peak corresponding to a C60 species was revealed in the time-of-flight mass spectrum of the resulting carbon clusters. It was proposed that this C60 cluster had the closed cage structure of a truncated icosahedron (a soccerball) and was named Buckminsterfullerene because geodesic dome concepts, pioneered by the architect Buckminster Fuller, played an important part in arriving at this solution. The signal for a C70 species (840 amu) , proposed to have the ellipsoidal shape of a rugbyball, was also prominent in the early experiments. Five years later, the seminal work of the Sussex! Rice collaboration was triumphantly confirmed as Wolfgang Krlitschmer and Donald Huffman succeeded in producing, and separating, bulk crystalline samples of fullerene material from arc-processed (in an inert gas atmosphere) carbon deposits. From then onwards, fullerene research continued, and still proceeds, at an exhilarating pace. The materials excited the imagination of many diverse classes of scientists, resulting in a truly interdisciplinary field. Many of our old, seemingly well-founded, preconceptions in carbon science had to be radically altered or totally abandoned, as a new round world of chemistry, physics and materials science began to unfold.

The creation of the hollow carbon buckminsterfullerene molecule as well as methods to produce and purify bulk quantities of it has triggered an explosive growth of research in the field. Superconducting and magnetic fullerides, atoms trapped inside the fullerene cage, chemically bonded fullerene complexes, and nanometer-scale helical carbon tubes are some of the leading areas that have generated much excitement.This book is intended as a guide to the literature for the scientist who is just entering fullerene research, and will be one more valuable volume to the collection for the established worker. It contains reprints of some sixty most important research papers, with focus especially on those papers that have guided further work in the field. There is also a short review of the field, with references to many other publications.

A decade has elapsed since the discovery of C60 in molecular beams, and five years since the first synthesis of solid C60. At the time, the opening of a new era for chemistry was foreseen and high expectations were shared by physicists and material scientists. Where are we now? Where are we aiming? What can we expect from now on? The answer will be found in this volume, written by the protagonists of the fullerene adventure. There is a whole new generation of materials now, in the form of molecules, solids, nanostructures, either directly derived from Bucky or inspired by it. They continue to create new challenges to our fundamental understanding and seem to be ready for important, long-lasting applications. Audience: The book is mainly directed to specialized scientists - physicists, chemists, material scientists and biochemists - who will find it a source of learning and inspiration. Younger researchers, too, will find it fascinating, since it allows them to learn about and quickly acquire a critical view of an interdisciplinary, frontier subject.

Fullerenes-a guide to the current state of knowledge in the field The last decade has seen an explosion of research into the chemical and physical properties of a promising new class of carbon-based materials known as fullerenes. Karl Kadish and Rodney Ruoff, two highly recognized leaders in the fullerene and nanotube research community, edit a comprehensive and much-needed survey of this important and rapidly evolving field. Contributions by experts in diverse areas of chemistry, physics, pharmacology, materials science, and chemical engineering provide an excellent introduction to fullerenes and highlight their considerable potential in such cutting-edge applications as semiconductor materials, new pharmaceutical compounds, and polymers. From the electrochemistry of fullerenes to molecular and solid C36, this book offers a remarkably fresh and authoritative look at some of the hottest research topics today, including: * Organic functionalization of fullerenes * Photophysical properties of different types of fullerenes * Polyfunctional polymer derivatives of fullerenes * The theory and production of endohedral metallofullerenes * Fullerene surface interactions * Superconductivity in fullerenes * Synthesis of materials incorporated within carbon nanotubes

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.

In 1985, Buckminsterfullerene (fullerene-60) C60 was discovered serendipitously during graphite laser vaporisation experiments designed to simulate the chemistry in a red giant carbon star. The molecule was isolated for the first time in macroscopic amounts in 1990, a breakthrough which triggered an explosion of research into its chemical and physical properties. The fullerenes hold great potential for material science applications, such as semiconductors and microscopic engineering, and as new compounds for pharmaceuticals, polymers and the chemical industry. In October 1992, a Discussion Meeting of the Royal Society entitled A Post-Buckminsterfullerene View of the Chemistry, Physics and Astrophysics of Carbon, organised by H. W. Kroto, A. L. Makay, G. Turner and D. R. M. Walton, was held to celebrate this exciting advance. The scientists who played key roles in the discovery and who are currently uncovering fascinating problems and the implications of this elegant molecule presented the papers published in this book.