Book:

    All-carbon Composites and Hybrids

    Copyright year   2021

    Print ISBN          978-1-83916-176-6

    https://doi.org/10.1039/9781839162718

Chapter 9 : Page 197-230

Clusters of Fullerenes

Klavs Hansen and Henning Zettergren

Abstract

The structure and dynamics of clusters of the all-carbon fullerene molecules are reviewed. After a brief overview of the properties of the individual fullerene molecules, the experimentally determined structures and the theoretical interaction potentials describing the cluster properties are reviewed. The dynamics of fullerene–fullerene molecule interaction after exposure of clusters to laser excitation, in bi-molecular collisions and after exposure of clusters to high energy ion beams is then reviewed. These show that the end products may be (multiply) charged clusters, fragmented or intact fullerene monomers or a wide range of fusion products, depending on how the excitation energy is transferred to the clusters and the amount of it.