SBIR Phase I: Production of Mini-Fullerenes

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to develop a new process to manufacture small fullerenes having a size less than conventional fullerenes. Prior research performed has lead to the successful development and commercialization of a combustion process for making fullerenes, and as a result, conventional fullerenes are now commercially available in ton quantities. These fullerenes are now finding uses in a variety of new products including polymers and advanced composite materials and are being actively investigated for use in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Fullerenes smaller than C60 are predicted to have unique structural and electronic properties that would make them commercially valuable for new types of advanced materials. However, no successful process has yet been developed to synthesize them. This Phase I project will investigate a new type of synthesis process based on the now commercially available larger fullerenes. This process is inherently scalable and would eventually allow the production of the mini-fullerenes at the ton level. Commercially it is estimated that small fullerenes will be commercially useful for forming hard and ultra hard materials and to form hard, all carbon protective coatings and films. They will also find use in polymers and as components for advanced composite materials. Because they will form three-dimensional networked, all carbon solids, some forms will be metallic and semi-conducting, and this will make them valuable as new electronic materials. An immediate research products market for mini-fullerenes will be available from scientists and corporations that want to investigate the properties of this new material.