Buckminsterfullerene

Buckminsterfullerene, or C₆₀, is a spherical molecule of 60 carbon atoms arranged in a cage of 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons.

Fullerene: A carbon molecule made of hollow cages, tubes, or related closed structures. C₆₀ is the best-known member of this family of carbon structures.
sp² hybridization: A bonding arrangement in which one s and two p orbitals form three coplanar hybrid orbitals. Each carbon uses three bonds in the cage, while remaining p orbitals contribute to its electronic system.
Harry Kroto: A British chemist whose research on carbon clusters led to the discovery of C₆₀. Kroto proposed a closed carbon cage to explain carbon-cluster signals observed in experiments.
Organic photovoltaics: Solar cells that use organic semiconductors to convert light into electrical energy. C₆₀ derivatives can accept and transport electrons in organic solar-cell blends.
Graphene: A single-atom-thick sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. Unlike C₆₀’s closed cage, graphene is an extended, nearly flat carbon sheet.
Truncated icosahedron: A polyhedron with 12 pentagonal and 20 hexagonal faces, with five faces meeting at each vertex. Its familiar soccer-ball shape matches the arrangement of C₆₀’s carbon atoms.
Molecular orbital: A quantum-mechanical description of an electron state spread over one or more atoms in a molecule. Molecular orbitals describe the delocalized electronic states of the C₆₀ cage.
Richard Smalley: An American chemist who developed laser-vaporization methods for studying atomic clusters. Smalley’s laboratory supplied the apparatus used to produce and analyze C₆₀.
Molecular electronics: The study and use of individual molecules as components in electronic devices. C₆₀’s defined structure and electronic states make it a candidate molecular component.
Carbon nanotube: A hollow cylindrical structure made from a rolled sheet of carbon atoms. Nanotubes share fullerene-like curvature but extend into cylinders rather than closed spheres.

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