A fullerene is a molecule composed entirely of carbon atoms arranged in the shape of a hollow ball, ellipsoid or tube. The most common form of fullerene is the buckminsterfullerene or C60 molecule, named after Buckminster Fuller, who created geodesic domes with a similar structure.
Fullerenes were first discovered in 1985 by Sir Harry Croteau, Richard Smalley and Robert Curl, who were awarded the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discovery. Fullerenes have unique physical and chemical properties, including high electrical conductivity, thermal stability and the ability to form compounds with other elements and molecules.
Fullerenes have many potential applications in fields such as electronics, materials science, and medicine, and research on their properties and potential applications continues.
Fullerenes were first discovered in 1985 by Sir Harry Croteau, Richard Smalley and Robert Curl, who were awarded the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discovery. Fullerenes have unique physical and chemical properties, including high electrical conductivity, thermal stability and the ability to form compounds with other elements and molecules.
Fullerenes have many potential applications in fields such as electronics, materials science, and medicine, and research on their properties and potential applications continues.