ABSTRACT
We review the basic properties of fullerene thin films, focusing
on issues such as morphology, electronic structure, conduction
and optical properties, and phase transitions. After discussing
the preparation methods of fullerene films, we describe some
of the most significant experimental results obtained on these
systems by optical and electron spectroscopy, scanning probe
microscopy, and electrical measurements. Throughout the chapter,
we compare several different materials ranging from pristine
fullerite, compounds with alkali, alkaline earth and rare earth
elements, fullerene polymers, as well as pristine and intercalated
endofullerenes. The emphasis is on the aspects related to the impact
of surfaces and interfaces on electronic and structural features, on
the dependence of physical properties upon film thickness (from
mono-to multilayer to thick films), and on the comparison of thin-
film and surface characteristics with corresponding bulk properties.
With their extremely rich variety of behaviors in the solid
state, fullerenes constitute a unique playground to investigate the
fundamental properties of molecular condensed matter. The simple
chemical formula and highly symmetric structure of the fullerene
molecules, together with their ability to support different oxidation
states allowing the formation of charge-transfer compounds within
a wide range of stoichiometries, are all features that make these
molecules the prototypical building block of organic molecular
solids.
