Mechanically driven phase transition of fullerene Original Research Article

Structural evolution that takes place during mechanical milling of fullerene (C60(C70)) was investigated. Mechanical milling did not destroy the molecular structure of C60(C70), but the fcc crystalline structure with long-range periodicity. Longer milling time results in the formation of C60(C70) polymer, including C60 dimer. Thermal analysis revealed a depolymerization enthalpy close to the theoretical calculation of the (2+2) cycloaddition bonding energy of polymerization. Mechanical milling may be one effective means to produce C60(C70) polymer.