Fullerenes & Graphene (Edexcel GCSE Chemistry)
Revision Note
Fullerenes & Graphene
C60 fullerene
Fullerenes are a group of carbon allotropes which consist of molecules that form hollow tubes or spheres
Fullerenes can be used to trap other molecules by forming around the target molecule and capturing it, making them useful for targeted drug delivery systems
They also have a huge surface area and are useful for trapping catalyst molecules onto their surfaces making them easily accessible to reactants so catalysis can take place
Some fullerenes are excellent lubricants and are starting to be used in many industrial processes
The first fullerene to be discovered was buckminsterfullerene which is affectionately referred to as a “buckyball”
In this fullerene, 60 carbon atoms are joined together forming 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons which produce a hollow sphere that is the exact shape of a soccer ball
The structure and bonding in C60 fullerene - the football shaped molecule
Graphene
Graphene consists of a single layer of graphite which is a sheet of carbon atoms covalently bonded forming a continuous hexagonal layer
It is essentially a 2D molecule since it is only one atom thick
It has very unusual properties make it useful in fabricating composite materials and in electronics
Graphene is a truly remarkable material that has some unexpected properties
Graphene has the following properties:
It is extremely strong but also amazingly light
It conducts heat and electricity
It is transparent
It is flexible
Strength: It would take an elephant with excellent balance to break through a sheet of graphene
It is very strong due to its unbroken pattern and the strong covalent bonds between the carbon atoms. Even when patches of graphene are stitched together, it remains the strongest material out there
Conductivity: It has free electrons which can move along its surface allowing it to conduct electricity
It is known to move electrons 200 times faster than silicon
It is also an excellent conductor of heat
Flexibility: Those strong bonds between graphene’s carbon atoms are also very flexible. They can be twisted, pulled and curved to a certain extent without breaking, which means graphene is bendable and stretchable
Transparent: Graphene absorbs 2.3% of the visible light that hits it, which means you can see through it without having to deal with any glare
This gives it the potential to be used for making computer screens of the future
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Questions often ask you to state and explain the use of graphene or fullerenes, so make sure you can state their uses and link them to their bonding arrangements.
You've read 0 of your 5 free revision notes this week
Sign up now. It’s free!
Did this page help you?