Fullerene C60
High Purity C60
Product Detail
Fullerene C60 — the original “buckyball” — is a hollow cage of sixty carbon atoms with a truncated-icosahedral geometry. ACS Material offers arc-discharge C60 in two HPLC-verified purity grades (Type A, >99.5 wt%; Type B, >99.9 wt%) for research spanning drug delivery, superconductors, optics, gas storage, and environmental science. Our C60 has been purchased and cited by peer-reviewed groups publishing in journals including Biomaterials, Water Research, and Environmental Pollution.
What is fullerene C60?
Fullerenes were first observed in 1985 in the sooty residue left after vaporizing carbon in a helium atmosphere. The discoverers thought the icosahedral structures with exactly sixty unsaturated carbon atoms resembled the geodesic domes popularized by the architect Buckminster Fuller, and named them “buckminsterfullerenes” in his honor. The name has since been shortened to “fullerene,” though the molecules are still often called “buckyballs.”
Fullerene C60’s truncated-icosahedral shape has 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons, with one carbon atom at each vertex and bonds running along the polygon edges. C60 has a van der Waals diameter of about 1.1 nm and a nucleus-to-nucleus diameter of about 0.71 nm. The average bond length is about 1.4 ångströms, with the double bonds shared between hexagons being shorter than the single bonds shared between a hexagon and a pentagon.
Specifications
Purity grades & characterization
| Product Name | Fullerene C60 (Type A) | Fullerene C60 (Type B) |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Black | Black |
| Purity* | >99.5 wt% | >99.9 wt% |
*Purity is tested by HPLC.
Elemental composition
| Element | Fullerene C60 (Type A) | Fullerene C60 (Type B) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PP At. % | Atomic % | PP At. % | Atomic % | |
| C | 98.5 | 98.87 | 97.31 | 97.97 |
| O | 1.5 | 1.13 | 2.69 | 2.03 |
Elemental compositions of ACS Material Fullerene C60. Data listed here are for reference only and may vary from batch to batch.
Application fields
- Drug delivery & biomedicine — C60 and its water-soluble derivatives (e.g. fullerenol) as nanocarriers and radical scavengers.
- Superconducting materials — alkali-doped fullerides as molecular superconductors.
- Optical materials — nonlinear optics and optical limiting.
- Gas storage — cage and interstitial adsorption studies.
- Cell protection & oxidation resistance — antioxidant and cytoprotective research.
- Environmental science — nanomaterial fate, aquatic toxicology, and photochemical transformation.
- Cosmetics — antioxidant formulations.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Type A and Type B?
Both are arc-discharge C60 in black powder form; the difference is HPLC purity. Type A is >99.5 wt% and Type B is >99.9 wt%. Choose Type B when your work is sensitive to residual higher fullerenes or oxygen content (as reflected in the elemental composition table); Type A is well suited to most dispersion, derivatization, and bulk applications.
How is purity determined?
Purity is measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Elemental composition (C and O atomic percentages) is provided separately for reference and may vary from batch to batch.
Can C60 be dispersed in water?
Pristine C60 is hydrophobic and does not dissolve in water, but it can be prepared as aqueous nanocrystal suspensions (often written nC60) or chemically modified into water-soluble derivatives such as fullerenol. Several of the cited studies above work with exactly these aqueous nC60 systems.
How should fullerene C60 be stored?
Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place away from light and strong oxidizers. Refer to the SDS and TDS for handling, storage, and safety details.
Related products
- Carbon Nanotubes — single- and multi-walled CNTs for composites, electronics, and energy research.
- Carbon Nanohorns — horn-shaped single-wall carbon nanostructures for catalysis and adsorption.
- Graphene Quantum Dots — fluorescent carbon nanodots for bioimaging and optoelectronics.
Publications using ACS Material fullerene C60
Fullerene C60 from ACS Material has been purchased and cited by name in peer-reviewed studies — including work published in Biomaterials, Water Research, Environmental Pollution, and the Journal of Nanoparticle Research. A selection of these journal articles is listed below.
This page is provided by ACS Material LLC for informational purposes and describes fullerene C60, an arc-discharge carbon nanomaterial supplied in Type A (>99.5 wt%) and Type B (>99.9 wt%) HPLC grades. Property values are typical and may vary from batch to batch; elemental composition and purity figures are for reference only. Consult the product datasheet (TDS) and safety data sheet (SDS) for grade-specific specifications and handling guidance. Published-research citations are listed to document reported use of ACS Material fullerene and do not imply endorsement by the authors or journals. ACS Material makes no warranties, express or implied, regarding suitability for any particular purpose.