Part of the Microprocessors glossary:

A fullerene is a pure carbon molecule composed of at least 60 atom s of carbon. Because a fullerene takes a shape similar to a soccer ball or a geodesic dome, it is sometimes referred to as a buckyball after the inventor of the geodesic dome, Buckminster Fuller, for whom the fullerene is more formally named. Fullerenes are seen as promising components of future micro-electromechanical systems ( MEMS ) and in nanotechnology . Current work on the fullerene is largely theoretical and experimental.

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NASA, in co-operation with geochemist Lynn Becker from the University of Hawaii, has discovered naturally-occuring fullerenes in ancient meteorites that hit the Earth. Recent research has suggested many uses for fullerenes, including medical applications, superconductors, and fiber-optics.

This was last updated in June 2007
Posted by: Margaret Rouse

Related Terms

Definitions

  • nanotube (buckytubes)

    - In nanotechnology or the building of extremely small machines and computers, a nanotube is a long, cylindrical carbon structure consisting of hexagonal graphite molecules attached at the edges. (WhatIs.com)

Glossaries

  • Microprocessors

    - Terms related to microprocessors, including definitions about silicon chips and words and phrases about computer processors.

  • Nanotechnology

    - Terms related to nanotechnology, including manufacturing definitions and words and phrases about building machines at a molecular level.

  • Hardware

    - Terms related to computer hardware, including definitions about cables, connectors and power supply units and words and phrases about computing peripheral devices including the keyboard, mouse, au...

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