ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses solid state properties of the fullerenes. Fullerenes are prepared by striking an electrical arc between two graphite electrodes in a helium or argon atmosphere. The structure of nanotubes, in terms of their relations to the structure of graphite and graphitic fibers, poses as a natural consequence questions regarding their structure and electronic properties. Nanotubes have been characterized by X-ray and Raman techniques. Nanotubes can be oxidized at the tube tips in the presence of molten metals. Filling of nanotubes with metals such as lead is interesting since these small lead wires might have properties very different from that of bulk lead. The related carbon structures, carbon onions, are usually formed along with the tubes. Gold can be filled and emptied from a carbon onion by using the electron beam of a transmission electron microscope to simultaneously heat and image. Measurements of tunneling conductivity using a scanning tunneling microscope suggest that materials are semiconducting.
