Fullerenes, Nanotubes, and Carbon Nanostructures Division
established October 14, 1993
Fullerenes are all-carbon molecules that have attracted attention in the form of about 2500 publications since 1990. The most recognized fullerene is C60, but various molecules exist, such as C70, C76, C84, and C102. Research on fullerenes has led to discoveries of other novel forms of carbon, such as carbon nanotubes, which may find uses in remarkably strong fiber-reinforced composites; and supergiant fullerenes, also termed carbon nanopolyhedra, which have an internal cavity large enough to encapsulate materials 1 to 50 nm in size. In 1993, the Fullerenes Division was formed after the large success and interest in the "Fullerenes: Chemistry, Physics, and New Directions" series of symposia held since 1990. The charter of the Fullerenes Division is to advance the science and technology of fullerenes and related materials (such as carbon nanotubes and carbon-coated nanoparticulates) by providing an international forum for scientific exchange in such diverse areas as: technology, theory, gas phase and mass spectrometric studies, surface science and thermodynamics, solid-state properties, biochemistry and pharmaceutical chemistry, organic functionalization, photoexcited states, electrochemistry and ESR, organometallic chemistry, metallofullerenes, and carbon-coated nanoparticles.
