What is a fullerene and its uses?

Fullerenes are used in the medical field as light-activated antimicrobial agents. It is also used in several biomedical applications including the design of high-performance MRI contrast agents, X-ray imaging contrast agents, photodynamic therapy and drug and gene delivery.

What was the first fullerene called?

buckminsterfullerene
fullerene, also called buckminsterfullerene, any of a series of hollow carbon molecules that form either a closed cage (“buckyballs”) or a cylinder (carbon “nanotubes”). The first fullerene was discovered in 1985 by Sir Harold W. Kroto (one of the authors of this article) of the United Kingdom and by Richard E.

What is a fullerene simple definition?

A fullerene is a pure carbon molecule composed of at least 60 atom s of carbon. Because a fullerene takes a shape similar to a soccer ball or a geodesic dome, it is sometimes referred to as a buckyball after the inventor of the geodesic dome, Buckminster Fuller, for whom the fullerene is more formally named.

What is fullerene made of?

Fullerene molecules are made of carbon atoms, and their shapes are as hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. Spherical fullerenes are also referred to as bucky balls. They are carbon clusters, whose surface is formed by 12 pentagons and any number of hexagons as shown in Fig.

How is fullerene made?

Fullerenes are synthesized by the arc method from the fullerene-containing soot. By this process there are produced gram-sized quantities. In fact it is based on the Huffman Kratschmer method. There is struck an arc between two graphite electrodes in helium atmosphere (100~200 Torr).

What is C60 antioxidant?

What is C60? C60 is the most common fullerene, made up of 60 carbon atoms that form a structure that looks like a hollow soccer ball. Because of the way these atoms bond together, C60 interacts with free radicals in the environment, giving the molecule strong antioxidant properties.

Why fullerene is an allotrope of carbon?

It has 60 carbon atoms joined together and no other element in it. There are various types of fullerenes.

Is fullerene a allotrope?

A fullerene is an allotrope of carbon of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, and other shapes. Carbon nanotubes are also considered members of the fullerene family. Fullerenes are closed three-dimensional allotropes of carbon.

How is fullerene used as an antioxidant?

Fullerenes are also used for cytoprotective action against UVA irradiation (Xiao et al 2006). The ultraviolet A radiation (320–400nm) generates reactive oxygen species, which have a biological effect on human skin cells, leading to cell damage or cell death.

Why is fullerene the purest form of carbon?

The purest form of carbon is fullerenes since they have a smooth structure without dangling bonds. Fullerenes are cage-like molecule.

Why is fullerene not a purest form of carbon?

Fullerenes are the only pure form of carbon. They have smooth structures without having dangling bonds. They do not have any type of swinging and have spongy structure. Fullerenes are cage-like molecules.