ABSTRACT
C60 fullerene nanowhiskers (FNW) have been investigated for near future electronics device applications. Nanofabrication for C60 FNWs has been developed for device manufacturing based on simple synthesis and semiconductor microprocessing of C60. The practical performance of C60 fullerene and carbon nanotubes should be tested in standard device components, such as well-known field-effect transistor (FET), a tentative device elements in practical circuits. A novel approach for synthesizing fibrous C60 crystals has been developed by using the method of liquid–liquid interface precipitation. The performance of C60-based FETs is known to degrade on exposure to air, since adsorbed oxygen creates a deep trapping level that suppresses carrier transport. The finding that solvate FNWs must be used to implement FETs could have important implications by allowing for technological applications of the materials to be developed. The fcc crystal structure of annealed FNWs has been found by X-ray diffraction to be almost similar that of C60 crystal, although with a slightly reduced lattice constant.
