Fullerene C60 based nanostructures by self-assembly and molecular recognition
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Date
2012
Authors
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Publisher
University of Zululand
Abstract
The drive to have biological compatibility, light weight and low cost materials and hard
coating which can withstand hard environments such as those in space and nuclear reactors
has met with a lot of challenges such as radiation and heat. These challenges pose a threat to
the function of expensive components used in space and nuclear reactors. Therefore, Carbon-
Carbon composites been an alternative choice for fusion reactor plasma facing components
because of their low atomic number, superior thermal shock resistance, higher melting
temperature (graphite sublimes at ~3600K), high thermal conductivity and low neutron
activation. So, studying how irradiation changes the structure and properties of solid targets is
necessary in order to understand the irradiation-induced degradation of components in the nuclear reactors. Although carbon structures have been studied quite extensively, fullerene C60 nanostructures have not received much attention. Furthermore, carbon nanostructures experience a self-healing process when subjected to intense conditions, this created a scope to
explore and investigate the effects of such conditions on the nanostructures of fullerene with
an additional aim of discovering new properties. Indeed this study has discovered that C60
nanostructures cannot withstand reactor conditions but new vital properties such as
magnetism were discovered forming a long term project in the creation of biocompatible light
weight room temperature magnets to be applied in electronics.
Description
Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Physics and Engineering at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2010.
Keywords
Nanostructures, Fullerene C60