A molecule composed of carbon atoms arranged in a hollow sphere, such as a soccer ball shape.A fullerene is a molecule made entirely of carbon atoms arranged in a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. The most famous fullerene is buckminsterfullerene (C60), which has 60 carbon atoms arranged in a pattern of pentagons and hexagons, resembling a soccer ball. Fullerenes are a distinct allotrope of carbon, alongside diamond and graphite, and their discovery opened up a new field of carbon chemistry and materials science.
Fullerenes were discovered in 1985 by Harold Kroto, Richard Smalley, and Robert Curl, who were studying carbon clusters formed by laser vaporization of graphite. They named the C60 molecule after Buckminster Fuller, the architect known for geodesic domes, due to the structural resemblance. The discovery earned them the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
In a fullerene, each carbon atom forms three covalent bonds with neighboring atoms, creating a curved surface that closes into a cage. The curvature is achieved by incorporating pentagonal rings into the hexagonal lattice, which introduces positive curvature. The electrons in the molecule are delocalized across the surface, giving fullerenes unique electronic and optical properties, such as strong electron affinity and the ability to absorb light across a broad spectrum.
Fullerenes are used in organic solar cells, as antioxidants in cosmetics, and in medical research for drug delivery systems, where their hollow structure can encapsulate therapeutic agents.
Fullerenes have been found in interstellar space, and they are thought to be responsible for some of the mysterious infrared emission bands observed from dying stars.
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