Nanotechnology Research and Practice

3-72

Authors: Helena L. Busygina

For several decades, the condensed systems consisting of closed molecules of the type Cn (C60, C70, etc.), called fullerenes, has a great scientific interest. Interpretation of the extensive experimental and theoretical scientific material for fullerenes accumulated over the years, that presented in the literature, is considerably hampered due to its great fragmentation and inconsistency. In theoretical calculations, experimental data are poorly taken into account, which leads to inconsistencies in the interpretation of the nature of optical transitions, and the experimental data vary significantly both quantitatively and qualitatively. This creates great difficulties in interpreting the results obtained. Therefore, there is a need for a comprehensive analysis of the available scientific data for each test substance. In this work, the optical functions and theoretical calculations of optical spectra, molecular levels, and energy bands for fullerenes in molecular and crystalline form, which were experimentally obtained by different methods, were analyzed in the literature. As a result of the analysis, the most reliable experimental data for single crystals and films of fullerites C60, C70, C76, C78, and C84 have been revealed. This can serve as a necessary basis for constructing subsequent theoretical models and for setting up new experimental studies.