Semiconducting and Metallic [5,5] Fullertube Nanowires: Characterization of Pristine D(1)-C and D(1)-C.

Although fullerenes were discovered nearly 35 years ago, scientists still struggle to isolate "single molecule" tubular fullerenes larger than C. In similar fashion, there is a paucity of reports for pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). In spite of Herculean efforts, the isolation and properties of pristine members of these carbonaceous classes remain largely unfulfilled.

Fullertubes: Cylindrical Carbon with Half-Fullerene End-Caps and Tubular Graphene Belts, Their Chemical Enrichment, Crystallography of Pristine C-(1) and C-(1) Fullertubes, and Isolation of C, C, C, and C Cages of Unknown Structures.

We report a chemical separation method to isolate : a new and soluble allotrope of carbon whose structure merges nanotube, graphene, and fullerene subunits. Fullertubes possess single-walled carbon nanotube belts resembling a rolled graphene midsection, but with half-fullerene end-caps. Unlike nanotubes, fullertubes are reproducible in structure, possess a defined molecular weight, and are soluble in pristine form.