Unlocking the Chemical Potential of Flat Fullerene Fragments.

Researchers at Kyoto University have discovered that flat fragments of spherical molecules composed entirely of carbon atoms, called fullerenes, have stable electron-accepting ability with great practical potential. The team focused on the influence of the pentagonal substructures and designed and synthesized flattened fragments of fullerene, which surprisingly retained and even enhanced some key chemical properties. The fragments display enhanced absorbance of ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light compared to fullerene itself, which might open new possibilities in photochemistry. The team will now explore the possibilities their flat fullerene fragments hold in the vast variety of applications associated with electron-transfer processes.