Silica coated fullerenols: seeded growth of silica spheres under acidic conditions

Liquid phase deposition of silica in the presence of fullerenol, C60(OH)n, results in the formation of uniform silica spheres, whereas the use of C60 gives large non-uniform agglomerates as a result of homogeneous nucleation. Raman and UV spectroscopy indicate the C60 is retained as the core of the silica spheres.