C3.8 - Fullerenes and Graphene Flashcards
Structures carbon can form:
- diamond
- graphite
- graphene
- buckminster fullerene
Fullerene
- artificially made in 1984
- made form 60 carbon atoms
- each carbon atom has 3 covalent bonds with other carbons
- has a cage-like, hollow structure
Properties of cylindrical fullerene
- high tensile strength
- high electrical/thermal conductivity
Why is fullerene a good conductor
due to its delocalised electrons that can carry charge
Uses of fullerene
- drug delivery
- safety goggles
- lubricant
- improving catalysts
- tennis rackets
Why is fullerene good for drug delivery
- its cage-like structure
- enables them to carry drug molecules around the body
- to take them to where they need to be
Why is fullerene used for safety goggles
- changes opacity
- when exposed to light
- so good when used with lasers
Why is fullerene a good lubricant
due to its shape
why is fullerene used to improve catalysts
-due to its high surface area to volume ratio of its nano-particles
why is fullerene used in tennis rackets
-due to its high tensile (tension) strength
Graphene (6 points)
- is a giant covalent sturcture
- a single atom thick sheet of hexagons
- surrounded by delocalised electrons
- artificially made by taking 1 layer of graphite
- 3 covalent bonds made by each carbon atom
- has no fixed number of atoms
Uses of graphene
- solar cells
- electrical displays
Why is graphene used in solar cells
-due to it being a single atom thick
-it is translucent
+ flexible
Why is graphene used in electrical displays
- its delocalised electrons carry charge
- making it a very good electrical conductor
Properties of graphene (5 points)
- flexible
- strong for its mass
- most reactive carbon form
- low density
- great conductor (better than graphite)
