What Are the Potential Applications of Buckminsterfullerene (C60)?

[caumaan]

Hi, all!

I was just looking at a list of materials and applications. I came across buckminsterfullerene, with none listed. Just wondering if anybody had some ideas as to how it could be used.


In case you were wondering, the buckyballs is C60, all atoms formed in a pattern resembling a number of hexagons attached to each other.


Thank you!

 

[red_fox77]

Latest ideas are for drug delivery systems, where the drug would be trapped in the structure and then released when the body breaks down the molecule.

Also have been used to treat disease, in the opposite way. Virus or whatever enters the C60 and gets trapped, dies.

There is also a strong research effort into making strands of them for high-strength cables. I don't personally think this will ever work out, but they still spend my tax money on it.

 

[jimbot]

Bucky balls and Bucky tubes

They are looking into bucky balls as a lubricant. Bucky tubes have many more uses than superstrong strands. This company produces bucky tubes for further research. http://www.cnanotech.com/ IBM and others are doing research on using bucky tubes for computer chips. While the government has spent some money on research, and has proposed further funding, I doubt that it has affected your tax bill too much.