Solid C58 films

Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2005 Jul 21;7(14):2816-20. doi: 10.1039/b505703e. Epub 2005 Jun 16.

Abstract

A new solid material has been created in ultra high vacuum by utilizing the aggregation process of C58 molecules deposited onto highly oriented pyrolytic graphite from a mass selected low-energy ion beam comprising C58+. Cluster fluxes of up to 3x10(11) ions s-1 cm-2 with impinging kinetic energies of 6+/-0.5 eV were typically applied. Growth of the solid C58 phase proceeds according to the cluster-aggregation-based Volmer-Weber scenario where initially ramified 2D islands transform into 3D pyramid-like structures at higher coverages. The C58 films created exhibit much higher thermal stability than the C60 solid phase. Sublimation of C58 sets in at a temperature of 700 K. Ultraviolet photoionization spectra (He I, 21.2 eV) yield a molecular ionization potential in the range between 6.6 and 7 eV. Density functional and Hartree-Fock theories suggest that the formation of C58 dimers and higher multimers upon deposition/aggregation gives rise to the high thermal stability and unique electronic properties of this material.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Dimerization
  • Electronics
  • Fullerenes / chemistry*
  • Graphite / chemistry*
  • Kinetics
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Spectrophotometry
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Fullerenes
  • Graphite
  • fullerene C60