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Nanofibers of Fullerene C 60 through Interplay of Ball‐and‐Socket Supermolecules
Author(s) -
Hubble Lee J.,
Raston Colin L.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.200700339
Subject(s) - fullerene , materials science , nanostructure , nanofiber , zigzag , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , geometry , mathematics , engineering
Mixing solutions of p ‐ t Bu‐calix[5]arene and C 60 in toluene results in a 1:1 complex (C 60 )∩( p ‐ t Bu‐calix[5]arene), which precipitates as nanofibers. The principle structural unit is based on a host–guest ball‐and‐socket nanostructure of the two components, with an extended structure comprising zigzag/helical arrays of fullerenes (powder X‐ray diffraction data coupled with molecular modeling). Under argon at temperatures above 309 °C, the fibers undergo selective volatilization of the calixarenes to afford C 60 ‐core nanostructures encapsulated in a graphitic material sheath, which exhibits a dramatic increase in surface area. Above 650 °C the material exhibits an ohmic conductance response, due to the encapsulation process.