Endohedral structures

Abstract

The current status of and prospects for studies on endohedral structures - fullerene molecules or carbon nanotubes with one or more atoms inside - are reviewed. Methods for synthesizing and studying such structures are considered and results obtained are discussed. The charge state and the geometrical position of fullerene-encapsulated atoms and the chemical properties of the resulting endohedral compound are analyzed. Following the development, in recent years, of methods for producing macroscopic quantities of such molecules in a pure form, a new area of research has formed, that of determining the physical and chemical properties and other characteristics of substances consisting of endohedral fullerene molecules. Results of such studies and future prospects for this field are analyzed.