Skip to main content

General Information About Fullerene C60, Also Known As Buckyballs.

   
Fullerene C60 in a spherical shape is an extremely stable form of carbon having molecules of 60 atoms arranged in a polyhedron resembling a geodesic sphere. Fullerene 60 consists of interconnected pentagons and hexagons and is believed to be a major constituent of soot. Fullerenes, were one of the first nanoparticles/nanopowder discovered. This discovery happened in 1985 by a trio of researchers working out of Rice University named Richard Smalley, Harry Kroto, and Robert Curl. The molecule, having its carbon atoms linked to three other carbon atoms by covalent bonds in the same pattern of hexagons and pentagons giving a buckyball the spherical structure, which resembled something like a soccer ball. It reminded them of something from the field of architecture—the futuristic “geodesic” domes invented by Buckminster Fuller in the 1930s. So they gave this new molecule the name “buckminsterfullerene” and although it is usually shorted to “fullerene” or “buckyball,” the name has stuck. Many other balls of carbon called fullerenes, have since been made, including C70, C76, and C84. Other sizes of buckyballs range from those containing 20 carbon atoms to those containing more than 100 carbon atoms.
Buckyballs generated a lot of excitement in scientific circles, and earned Curl, Kroto, and Smalley a Nobel Prize in 1996, all before any good use for them had been dreamed up. Buckyballs, they were discovering, could bounce, return to their original shape if squeezed, and spin at amazingly high speeds.
Fullerene C60 was recently confirmed as the largest molecule identified in space. However, it remains unclear how and where this molecule is formed. It is generally believed that fullerene C60 is formed from the buildup of small carbonaceous compounds in the hot and dense envelopes of evolved stars. The covalent bonds between carbon atoms make fullerene 60 very strong, and the carbon atoms readily form covalent bonds with a variety of other atoms. Fullerene 60 has an interesting electrical property of being very good electron acceptors, which means they accept loose electrons from other materials. This feature is useful, for example, in increasing the efficiency of solar cells in transforming sunlight into electricity.

Applications of Fullerene 60:
Fullerene 60 is used in lubricants
Fullerene 60 is used in nanotubes.
Fullerene 60 is used in drugs.
Fullerene 60 is used in microscopes.
Fullerene 60 is used in solar cells.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Carbon Nanotube Threads

Since its discovery, carbon nanotube (CNT) has attracted many interests in different technology fields due to its extraordinary properties. Properties such as, high strength, great electrical and thermal conductivity, light weight and flexibility made CNT one of the best materials for wide range of applications. However, from its name it can be understood that CNT is a nanoscale material which is very small to be applied for the production of daily products. Researchers all around the world are working on finding methods and techniques which could produce new materials with the extraordinary properties of CNT. Image retrieved from:  https://worldindustrialreporter.com/strong-light-flexible-carbon-nanotubes-threads-with-ultrahigh-conductivity/ One of these research is focusing on the production of high strength threads that can be used in the manufacturing of fabrics, cables and ropes. An international group of scientists were able to produce a flexible conductive thread th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Multi Walled Carbon Nanotube Dispersions

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)  have attracted enormous attention in recent years due to its unique physical, electronic, optical and potential applications in materials science and nanotechnology. The van der Waals interaction between tubes, however, makes CNTs aggregate in most organic solvents and aqueous solutions, which is the major limitation of their practical applications.Various approaches have been studied to alter the CNT surface to promote the dispersion of individual nanotubes and prevent their reaggregation. On the basis of this widely accepted viewpoint, numerous techniques such as covalent bonding, surfactant coating and polymer wrapping have been developed for surface modification or sidewall functionalization.These methods, however, are complicated, time-consuming and cause permanent damage to the CNT structure and properties of the surface, which produces residues of the dispersion agent for the final product. Figure: Single Walled Carbon Nanotube (SWCNT) It ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles/Nanopowder and Applications

General Information about Magnesium Oxide Magnesium oxide which has the chemical formula of MgO, is a white hygroscopic solid mineral that occurs naturally as periclase and is a source of Magnesium. It is a white powder at room temperature. Magnesium Oxide has very high melting point (2825  o C) and boiling point (3600  o C).                                                                                                                                                                                Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles/Nanopowder an...
Post a Comment
Read more