SYNTHESIS AND DOPING OF FULLERENES

Recent interest in closed cage carbon clusters fullerenes is due to their remarkable physical and chemical properties, and is facilitated by a novel synthesis process that made macroscopic quantities of this novel material readily available. The condensed form of C60, fullerite. is doped with alkali or alkaline-earth metals and electronic properties are significantly modified. In donor dopants case. electrons are donated to C60 molecules to populate the molecular orbital derived bands. At half-filling of the conduction bands, systems become superconductors with remarkably high transition temperatures. Here we present a brief overview of the synthesis, crystal growth and doping of fullerites.