C 60 Molecule

Buckyball Found in Nature

Buckyballs have been found in a piece of the 4.6-billion-year-old Allende meteorite that landed in Mexico in 1969. Scientists hope that this first evidence of Buckyballs appearing in nature may provide clues to the origin of life. The Carbon 60 molecules, shaped like a geodesic sphere, were first synthesized in laboratories in 1985. This is now the third form of pure carbon known to exist naturally (along with graphite and diamonds).



Two different views of the Carbon 60 Molecule

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Nanotubes for Flat Panel Displays

Elongated Buckyballs (buckminsterfullerenes or carbon 60 molecules), called nanotubes, are now being grown on glass in a well aligned manner, resembling a wheat field or a buzz cut. This scientific breakthrough is bringing affordable flat-panel displays for television and computers closer to the horizon. Carbon nanotubes are at least 100-1,000 times stronger than the strongest steel and have excellent electron-emission capabilities.

Scientists at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo have successfully grown the nanotubes on glass at low enough temperatures thatthe glass will not deform. Previously the researchers were using silicon crystal as the substrate because of the high temperature requirement for producing aligned nanotubes, alignment being a critical factor. The ability to use glass sharply reduces the cost. Lead researcher, Zhigang Ren, attributes the breakthrough to using ammonia as the catalyst instead of nitrogen. Ren said, "We know from earlier work on carbon nanotubes that electrons come out only from the tip of each tube, not from the sides. Therefore, it is necessary to have all the nanotubes positioned exactly perpendicular to the substrate on which they are grown. If the alignment is not good, then you cannot obtain good electron-emission properties."? The technology currently being used in flat panel displays such as laptop computers cannot produce the high resolution and excellent viewing angles that carbon nanotubes will make possible.

As nanotubes resemble microscopic hoses, they are also being used as probes in extremely sensitive scanning microscopes. It has also been suggested that they can be used as insulation for wire one molecule thick. This wire could be used as leads to tiny microchips.

See also:
buffalo.edu report
TBTF
sciencemag.org
Buckminsterfullerene - Molecule of the Month
The naming of the Buckminsterfullerene
Harry Kroto - Winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Whatever happened to the Buckyball ? (1998)
C 36 Stickyball