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Solid C60: a new form of carbon

Nature volume 347, pages 354–358 (1990)Cite this article

A new form of pure, solid carbon has been synthesized consisting of a somewhat disordered hexagonal close packing of soccer-ball-shaped C60 molecules. Infrared spectra and X-ray diffraction studies of the molecular packing confirm that the molecules have the anticipated 'fullerene' structure. Mass spectroscopy shows that the C70 molecule is present at levels of a few per cent. The solid-state and molecular properties of C60 and its possible role in interstellar space can now be studied in detail.

FOLLOWING the observation that even-numbered clusters of carbon atoms in the range C30–C100 are present in carbon vapour1, conditions were found2,3,4 for which the C60 molecule could be made dominant in the large-mass fraction of vapourized graphite. To explain the stability of the molecule, a model was proposed of an elegant structure in which the carbon atoms are arranged at the 60 vertices of a truncated icosahedron, typified by a soccer ball. The structure, dubbed buckminsterfullerene2 because of its geodesic nature, has been the subject of several theoretical stability tests5, 6 and has been discussed widely in the literature. Calculations of many physical properties have been made, including electron energies7,8,9, the optical spectrum9, vibrational modes10,11,12,13,14,15, and the electric and magnetic properties16, 17. There has been speculation on the possible chemical and industrial uses of C60 (ref. 2), and on its importance in astrophysical environments18,19,20. Until now, it has not been possible to produce sufficient quantities of the material to permit measurement of the physical properties, to test the theoretical calculations, or to evaluate the possible applications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, 6900, Heidelberg, PO Box 103980, Germany

    W. Krätschmer & K. Fostiropoulos

  2. Department of Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721, USA

    Lowell D. Lamb & Donald R. Huffman

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  1. W. Krätschmer
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  2. Lowell D. Lamb
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  3. K. Fostiropoulos
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  4. Donald R. Huffman
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Krätschmer, W., Lamb, L., Fostiropoulos, K. et al. Solid C60: a new form of carbon. Nature 347, 354–358 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/347354a0

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