The Fullerenes

Until recently, the element carbon was believed to exhibit only two main allotropic forms, diamond and graphite. Research in the US and Europe has now confirmed the existence of a third previously unknown form - buckminsterfullerene (C60) and its relatives, the fullerenes (C24, C28, C32, C70 etc). The story of fullerene chemistry, physics and materials science began in 1985, almost twenty years after the existence of a spherical carbon cluster was first considered. In September 1985 a joint Sussex/Rice Universities team including Kroto, Heath, O'Brien, Curl and Smalley used a powerful mass spectrometric technique to identify the C+60 species, and proposed a spherical structure and the name buckminsterfullerene. It was not, however, until Krätschmer and Huffman reported the isolation of crystals of C60 in 1990 that the closed cage structure of C60 could be confirmed. The Fullerenes documents the work leading up to 1990 and more recent developments in the field of fullerene research and will serve as an indispensible reference tool for all workers in this area.

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.

At the interface between chemistry, biology, and physics, fullerenes were one of the first objects to be dissected, scanned, and studied by the modern multi-specialty biotech community and are currently thriving in both research and practical application. Other members of the sp2 nanocarbon family, such as nanotubes and graphene, are currently bein

The discovery of fullerenes (also known as buckyballs) has generated tremendous excitement and opened up a new field of carbon chemistry. As the first book available on this topic, this volume will be a landmark reference in the field. Because buckyballs are essentially closed hollow cages made up of carbon atoms, they can be manipulated in a variety of ways to yield never-before-seen materials. The balls can, for instance, be doped with atoms or pulled out into tubules and filled with lead to provide properties of high-temperature superconductivity. Researchers can now create their own buckyballs in a process that is almost as simple as making soot, making this research as inexpensive as it is exotic (which has doubtless contributed to its popularity). Researchers anticipate that fullerenes will offer boundless opportunities in the development of new products, drugs and materials. Science of Fullerenes and Carbon Nanotubes introduces materials scientists, chemists, and solid state physicists to the field of fullerenes, and discusses the unique properties and applications. both current and future, of all classes of fullerenes. Key Features * First comprehensive resource on fullerenes and their applications * Provides an introduction to the topic * Presents an extensive discussion of current and future applications of Fullerenes * Covers all classes of fullerenes

Fullerene, molekulare "Fu?balle" aus 60 oder mehr Kohlenstoffatomen, sind eine Substanzklasse mit vielversprechenden Zukunftsaussichten, beispielsweise als Halbleiter, als Basis pharmazeutischer Wirkstoffe oder Polymerwerkstoffe. Dieses Buch bietet Ihnen einen aktuellen Uberblick uber das dynamische Forschungsgebiet. Zur Sprache kommen modernste Themen wie Metallofullerene, Nanorohren und organisch funktionalisierte Fullerenverbindungen. (06/00)

The discovery of caged carbon structures, in 1985, established a whole new field of carbon chemistry. Unlike graphite and diamond, these structures known as fullerenes are finite in structure and are relevant to a wide variety of fields including supramolecular assemblies, nanostructures, optoelectronic devices and a whole range of biological activities. Fullerenes: Principles and Applications discusses all aspects of this exciting field. Sections include: the basic principles for the chemical reactivity of fullerenes, electrochemistry, light induced processes, fullerenes for material sciences, fullerenes and solar cells, biological applications and multifunctional carbon nanotube materials. Written by leading experts in the field the book summarises the basic principles of fullerene chemistry but also highlights some of the most remarkable advances that have occurred in recent years. Fullerenes: Principles and Applications will appeal to researchers in both academia and industry.

Fullerenes or "buckyballs,"a new carbon-based family of materials, have fascinated the scientific community for the past few years. These materials are likely to find applications ranging from lubricants to batteries to biological magic bullets, which will be of great importance in the science and technology of the next century. This carefully edited volume, the first to include Frans Spaepen as co-editor, summarizes our present understanding in a series of didacticarticles, which take the reader from the fundamentals to the present cutting-edge research. A general overview is followed by chapters devoted to synthesis and characterization of fullerenes and their derivatives, the novel structural properties of buckyballs, tubes, and buckyonions, a theoretical and experimental view of electrons and phonons, and finally to the fascinating superconducting properties of these materials. Presents systematic overview of entire field Discusses synthesis, characterization, structure, and superconducting properties Specially edited volume of the distinguished Solid State Physics Series Includes applications from many fields

In this handbook, the leading experts in the field presents important and fundamental aspects of the organic and organometallic chemistry of fullerenes. Naturally they also cover the applications in material and medicinal science for these fascinating molecules. Completely self-contained, the book is logically arranged such that information is easy to retrieve, and the style lends itself to effortless reading and to learning more about the chemical properties of this family of molecules. A definitive "must" for everyone working in this ever-expanding sphere.