Fullerenes as precursors of carbon-based materials

The interaction of fullerite with continuous and pulsed laser radiation is presented. In both cases cage-opening reactions and coalescence of fullerene fragments are observed, although the reaction mechanism involved and the final products are radically different. Under continuous high fluence (Ar+) laser irradiation, a photothermal oxidation reaction is responsible for the fullerene breaking and oxygen is present in large quantities in the resulting carbon phase. Surface etching is also observed. The irradiation of fullerite with Nd:Yag laser pulses induces strong luminescence associated with structural modifications, in particular the formation of carbon nano-filaments and bundles. We suggest that, in this case, the interaction of electronic photo-excitations is responsible for the breaking of C60 units.