Fullerene Collision Reactions

The discovery and macroscopic production of the fullerenes in the early 1990's led to the initiation of a new sub-field of atomic and molecular collision studies. The beautiful structure and remarkable properties of these hollow, all-carbon molecules made them ideal subjects as model systems for studying the collision dynamics of complex molecules. Fullerene Collision Reactions provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art of fullerene collision studies. The book begins with introductory chapters that provide the necessary background in experimental and theoretical techniques. This is followed by experimental results and theoretical calculations covering the wide range of available gas-phase fullerene collision experiments. Emphasis is placed on gas-phase molecular beam experiments where reaction, fragmentation and charge transfer cross sections have been determined covering collision energy ranges from thermal to MeV. Atomic, ionic, electronic, cluster and surface collisions involving fullerenes are covered in depth accompanied by a clear presentation of the most commonly applied experimental and theoretical techniques. This book will be an invaluable resource for senior undergraduate students, graduate students and researchers working in the field.