Cluster Modified Fullerenes

Fullerene generation by vaporization of graphite or by combustion of hydrocarbons is very effective and certainly unbeatable what facile production in large quantities is concerned. However, total synthesis approaches are attractive because (a) specific fullerenes could be made selectively and exclusively, (b) new endohedral fullerenes could be formed, (c) heterofullerenes and (d) other cluster modified fullerenes could be generated using related synthesis protocols. 

The present voliune combines reports and the current status of the principles of fullerene reactivity, of cluster modified fullerenes, of higher fullerenes and nanotubes and reviews potential applications of fullerene materials. This volume is also meant to inspire interested fullerene researchers to find elegant... 

The field of clusters and fullerenes represents areas of modern science where the properties are determined by the reduced coordination. This will modify the functional properties when clusters are used in disperse forms or as units in cluster assembled materials. Examples of applications can be catalysts, sensor materials, units in nanophase/nanocrystalline materials with improved mechanical, electrical, magnetic or optical properties, of cluster based materials for sun protection, solar energy conversion, as an alternative to quantum dots produced with traditional techniques, fabrication of mesoscopic systems etc. The hope is to tune the properties with cluster size, making cluster based materials with characteristics more advanced than those of conventional materials. Production of these types of cluster and exploration of their properties of free as well as deposited clusters are a challenging task of basic and applied science which will be covered in the following sections of this article. 

Here, a first review is provided which summarizes the more recent development framework modified fullerenes like cluster opened structures and heterofullerenes. The key steps for such framework modifications are always defined activations of the fullerene cluster due to specific covalent addition reactions. Therefore, the principles of covalent fullerene chemistry [3-8] will be considered first ... 

Other examples have shown that pristine fullerenes serve as electron shuttles in liquid-based electrolytes [100,101], In this context, clusters of pristine fullerenes were deposited on top of Ti02 electrodes that were modified with ruthenium (II) complex, porphyrins, and fluorescein. All of these examples featured overall enhancements of... 

A larger number of compounds with linked and discrete homoatomic clusters are known for the group-14 elements. The structures of the different modifieations of the elements themselves are indicative of a tendency to form clusters. For carbon, several crystalline modifications are known the polymeric diamond structure, the two-dimensional structure of graphite, and the isolated units of the fullerenes. There are two modifications of Si-Sn - the a or the diamond structure in which all atoms are four-connected and the metallic fi-iin structure with coordination number six (four shorter and two longer distances). A eoordination number greater than... 

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