Chemistry of fullerene Chapter uri icon

abstract

  • Fullerenes are organic compounds of high interest, formed by a structure very special of hydrophobic character, presented by a class of spherical molecules of 60 and 70 carbons in general. They present a hybridized sp2 with a conjugated system, which gives high aromaticity to organized organic structures, and excellent electrical properties. Each fullerene is a closed network of fused pentagons and hexagons. Spherical fullerenes are called buckyballs and the cylindrical ones are called buckytubes, which may have single or multiple walls. All these structural features make them special. They are considered highly stable molecules, ideally involved in highlighting different reactions like: addition, substitution, involving radicals with metal complexes, polymerization, among others, which provide them a covalent surface modification. Such molecules can be obtained naturally or synthetically. They are present in important applications in different areas highlighting electronics, medical, automotive, computer, and biomedical, among others. This chapter aims to present obtaining, reactivity and applications of fullerenes. © 2014 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

publication date

  • 2014-01-01