Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Spark Plasma Sintering Apparatus Used for the Formation of Strontium Titanate Bicrystals
Published on: February 9, 2017
A layered ionic crystal of polar Li@C(60) superatoms
Shinobu Aoyagi1, Eiji Nishibori, Hiroshi Sawa
1Department of Applied Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan.
Abstract:
If the physical properties of C(60) fullerene molecules can be controlled in C(60) products already in use in various applications, the potential for industrial development will be significant. Encapsulation of a metal atom in the C(60) fullerene molecule is a promising way to control its physical properties. However, the isolation of C(60)-based metallofullerenes has been difficult due to their insolubility. Here, we report the complete isolation and determination of the molecular and crystal structure of polar cationic Li@C(60) metallofullerene. The physical and chemical properties of Li@C(60) cation are compared with those of pristine C(60). It is found that the lithium cation is located at off-centre positions in the C(60)-I(h) cage interior and that the [Li(+)@C(60)] salt has a unique two-dimensional structure. The present method of purification and crystallization of C(60)-based metallofullerenes provides a new C(60) fullerene material that contains a metal atom.
Related Concept Videos
Metallic Solids
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many...
Ionic Crystal Structures
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
Lattice Energies of Ionic Crystals
Unit Cells
Lattice Centering and Coordination Number
Types of Unit Cells
Imagine taking a large number of identical...
Trends in Lattice Energy: Ion Size and Charge

