Carbon based thirty six atom spheres

Abstract

A solid phase or form of carbon is based on fullerenes with thirty six carbon atoms (C). The Cstructure with Dsymmetry is one of the two most energetically favorable, and is conducive to forming a periodic system. The lowest energy crystal is a highly bonded network of hexagonal planes of Csubunits with AB stacking. The Csolid is not a purely van der Waals solid, but has covalent-like bonding, leading to a solid with enhanced structural rigidity. The solid Cmaterial is made by synthesizing and selecting out Cfullerenes in relatively large quantities. A Crich fullerene soot is produced in a helium environment arc discharge chamber by operating at an optimum helium pressure (400 torr). The Cis separated from the soot by a two step process. The soot is first treated with a first solvent, e.g. toluene, to remove the higher order fullerenes but leave the C. The soot is then treated with a second solvent, e.g. pyridine, which is more polarizable than the first solvent used for the larger fullerenes. The second solvent extracts the Cfrom the soot. Thin films and powders can then be produced from the extracted C. Other materials are based on Cfullerenes, providing for different properties.