C60

Almost 20 years ago, scientists found a new form of Carbon known as C60, buckyballs, or fullerenes. These tiny carbon arrangements are in the shape of a soccer ball, and are made up of sixty carbon atoms. Here's an article that explains it in more depth:

New forms of the element carbon - called fullerenes - in which the atoms are arranged in closed shells was discovered in 1985 by Robert F. Curl, Harold W. Kroto and Richard E. Smalley. The number of carbon atoms in the shell can vary, and for this reason numerous new carbon structures have become known. Formerly, six crystalline forms of the element carbon were known, namely two kinds of graphite, two kinds of diamond, chaoit and carbon(VI). The latter two were discovered in 1968 and 1972.

nobelprize.org...

What is the importance of this discovery? C60 can be applied in many new areas of science. New doors have been opened in nanotechnology, medicine, optics, electronics, and other fields. Below are a list of links that go into more depth over the uses of C60.


optics.org...
nanotech-now.com...
linc.cs.vt.edu...

yeah, i heard about these a few years back. interesting stuff, really. almost did a project on em, but settled on bluetooth instead. i won, though, that was good.

buckyballs. good stuff. i remembered the harder than diamond bit, but i had forgotten about the speed thing.

*rant on how this, if properly used, could, in time, be a new fantastic way to revolutionize all aspects of life, lists a few of these, says wow a lot, i cant wait*

Fullerenes with other atoms or molecules trapped inside them have been discovered orbiting distant stars. They're really cool. Really, really cool...