Solid Ceo A New Form of Carbon

Kratschmer W, Lamb LD, Fostiropoulos K, Huffman DR (1990) Solid Ceo - A New Form of Carbon. Nature 347 1990... 

The stable form of carbon is graphite in which the sp bonds form hexagonal sheets bonded together by weak van der Waals forces. However, carbon atoms can also form a new class of materials called fullerenes which consists of molecules in the form C (n = 60-140) as well as cylindrical structures called CNTs. The Ceo molecules, known as bucky balls, can assemble in an fee close-packed array to form fullerites, a solid form of carbon that is harder than diamond and has many other remarkable properties, especially when metal atoms are intercalated into the structure to form fullerides. The CNTs also have remarkable mechanical and electronic properties ranging from super-strong composites to nanoelectronics. 

---