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What is a fullerene? Fullerenes @ Nano-C
What Is A Fullerene?
From left to right: Diamond, graphite, and fullerene.
Fullerenes are the third allotropic form of carbon material (after graphite and diamond). In 1996, their discovery won a Nobel prize in chemistry. The original discovery of Buckminsterfullerene, a C60 spherical allotrope of carbon, in 1985 by Kroto, et al. ("C60 Buckminsterfullerene"; Nature 318:162 (November 1985)) precipitated a flurry of activity directed towards understanding the nature and properties of fullerenes, particularly their use in synthetic chemistry and as electron acceptors, radical scavengers, non-linear optical limiters, and in many other applications.
A geodesic dome shares the same
geometric structure as a
buckminsterfullerene.
Fullerenes are a class of closed-cage carbon molecule, Cn, characteristically containing 12 pentagons and a variable number of hexagons.
| hexagons | = |
2 |
Fullerenes composed of less than 300 carbon atoms, or endohedral fullerenes, are commonly known as "buckyballs", and include the most common fullerene, buckminsterfullerene, C60. Giant fullerenes, or fullerenes with more than 300 carbon atoms, include single-shelled or multi-shelled carbon structures, onions, and nanotubes.
Fullerenes @ Nano-C
The commercial viability of fullerenes was ensured when Nano-C launched its business in 2001, based on patented technology developed by Dr. Jack Howard at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Uniquely scalable combustion-based process technology.Scalability is an important question to ask as one envisions the successful launch of a new product. Nano-C has demonstrated the scalability of its II-G process. In addition, large-scale commercial combustion-based processes include carbon black and fumed silica. Nano-C's efficient and scalable combustion process assures commercial viability and pricing that reflect the increasing benefits of economies of scale.
Solvent-free
Nano-C's as-produced fullerenes are pure, and can be made solvent FREE.
Form
As individual molecules, fullerenes are about 1 nm in diameter. This compares to
0.16 nm for a water molecule. During manufacture, these molecules come together
to form small particles (10 nm to several microns). They are readily handled, or
can be easily pelletized. They exhibit solubility in many solvents, but are not
soluble on their own in water. For enhanced solubility requirements in water or
lipids, please see our line of fullerene derivatives.