Structure of fullerene C60 in aqueous solution

Abstract

The structure of fullerene C60 in aqueous solution was investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The fullerene C60 was found to aggregate rapidly at room temperature. The aggregation kinetics results indicated that the structure of C60 aggregates in water could be described as a fractal system. The optical absorption spectra obtained testify to the crystalline character of absorption. The formation in water of fractal structures and a crystalline phase from highly stable hydrated fullerene (C60)13 clusters (Ih symmetry group) was predicted using the molecular dynamics approach.