Overview

Krätschmer and Huffman's revolutionary discovery of a new solid phase of carbon, solid C60, in 1990 opened the way to an entire new class of materials with physical properties so diverse that their richness has not yet been fully exploited. Moreover, as a by-product of fullerene research, carbon nanotubes were later identified, from which novel nanostructures originated that are currently fascinating materials scientists worldwide. Rivers of words have been written on both fullerenes and nanotubes, in the form of journal articles, conference proceedings and books. The present book offers, in a concise and self-contained manner, the basics of the science of these materials as well as detailed information on those aspects that have so far been better explored. Structural, electronic and dynamical properties are described as obtained from various measurements and state-of-the-art calculations. Their interrelation emerges as well as their possible dependence on, for example, preparation conditions or methods of investigation. By presenting and comparing data from different sources, experiment and theory, this book helps the reader to rapidly master the basic knowledge, to grasp important issues and critically discuss them. Ultimately, it aims to inspire him or her to find novel ways to approach still open questions. As such, this book is addressed to new researchers in the field as well as experts.