Nanostructures

Novel carbon allotropes, such as spherical fullerenes and nanotubes, have been added, in the last three decades, to the traditionally recognised diamond and graphite. Although fullerene C60 has been speculated about for a long time. A fullerene is, according to a classical definition, an all-carbon molecule consisting entirely of pentagons (exactly 12) and hexagons (n/2-10). Non-classical fullerene extensions to include rings of other sizes have been considered. Fullerenes are commonly synthesised by arc-discharge or laser ablation methods. Spherical fullerenes became nowadays parts of real chemistry: they can be functionalised or inserted in supramolecular assemblies.