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Promising nanomaterial's origin revealed
An artistic representation of the transformation of graphene and a metal into endohedral metallofullerenes in plasma.
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A study by Florida State University (FSU) scientists is offering new understanding of how an intriguing nanomaterial called metallofullerene is formed.
Part of the carbon family, metallofullerenes are related to what is known as buckyballs, or fullerenes -- hollow, soccer-ball-shaped spherical cages that represent a basic form of carbon. The empty spaces in the fullerenes can trap metal atoms, resulting in metallofullerenes.
"Metallofullerenes are a unique form of molecular nanocarbon," says Paul Dunk, a chemist at FSU and co-author of the published study. "They are potentially useful in a number of biomedical diagnostics, in particular as MRI contrast agents."
Dunk adds, "Under certain conditions, metallofullerenes can have spectacular properties that make them prized as advanced materials for an array of technologies, such as conversion of sunlight into electricity and as possible components of molecular electronics."
Findings from the study could help pave the way for metallofullerene-based applications that range from biomedicine to renewable energy.
To discover how metallofullerenes are synthesized in a lab, the research team relied on the high magnetic field instrumentation available at the Ion Cyclotron Resonance facility at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, which is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (under grant DMR 11-57490) and the state of Florida.
To learn more about this research, see the FSU news story Promising nanomaterials origin revealed. (Date image taken: 2015; date originally posted to NSF Multimedia Gallery: Feb. 12, 2016)
Credit: Paul Dunk, Florida State University
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