| Since the discovery of Buckminsterfullerene, the soccerball shaped carbon-caged molecule consisting of 60 carbon atoms, there has been much speculation about the stability of other “fullerenes” with less than 60 carbon atoms. Although several fullerenes with greater than 60 carbon atoms have since been isolated in bulk, the only evidence of lower fullerenes has come from minute-quantity gas phase experiments. This thesis presents work on the first ever bulk synthesis, extraction and characterization of a lower fullerene: C36.; By exploring the parameter space of the Krätschmer-Huffman graphite arc-discharge method, C36 was produced in milligram quantities. This new material which was extracted with pyridine was found by electron diffraction to form a covalently bonded solid with a d-spacing of 6.68 Å. This material is electrically insulating in its pure form but it becomes conducting upon intercalation with alkali metals. The resistance vs temperature behavior of the alkali intercalated samples is consistent with variable range hopping. From microwave-loss measurements and current vs. voltage data, there are preliminary results that may indicate the presence of a very small superconducting fraction in these alkali doped samples. This result would be consistent with predictions by Grossman, Côté, Cohen and Louie that a certain isomer of C 36 with D6h symmetry has an exceptionally strong electron-phonon coupling constant.; Other developments described in this thesis include a method of synthesizing multi-walled carbon nanotubes in high yield at an accelerated rate using a low pressure mixture of nitrogen and helium as the buffer gas. Also, a simple technique has been developed for synthesizing magnetic nickel-iron clusters that are coated with both electrical insulators and electrical conductors. These clusters may have a variety of applications in the fields of magnetic recording and biochemistry where magnetic manipulation of cells is important. Finally, a preliminary study of doping effects in multi-walled carbon nanotubes was conducted. This study showed that the transport properties of these nanotubes changed dramatically upon intercalation with both oxygen and potassium. |
