DEVELOPMENT OF A PROCESS TO SYNTHESIZE TUBLAR FULLERENES

FULLERENES, ALSO KNOWN AS BUCKYBALLS, HAVE BEEN THE FOCUS OF VERY INTENSE SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS SINCE THE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF THEIR DISCOVERY. EVIDENCE NOW SUGGESTS THAT IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO TAILOR THE DIMENSIONS AND CONFIGURATIONS OF THE FULLERENES TO PRODUCE THE TUBULAR SHAPES WHICH HAVE BEEN TERMED "BUCKYTUBES". RESEARCHERS HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT A TUBULAR SHAPE CAN BE SYNTHESIZED, ISOLATED, AND CHARACTERIZED. THIS PHASE I PROJECT CONSISTS OF A DETAILED INVESTIGATION TO DEFINE THE MECHANISM AND PROCESS TO SYNTHESIZE FULLERENE TUBULAR GEOMETRIES, AND TO SEPARATE, ISOLATE, AND CHARACTERIZE THESE UNIQUE MATERIALS FOR A VARIETY OF APPLICATIONS. MATERIALS PRODUCED WILL BE PROVIDED TO THE ARIZONA FULLERENES CONSORTIUM OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA AND ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOR COMPARISON AND CHARACTERIZATION.