Kinetic Processes in Fullerene Solutions

In solutions, fullerenes, carbon nanoparticles with size of the order of one nanometer, exhibit a number of interesting properties and kinetic effects. A large part of these effects is connected with the ability of these macromolecules to form aggregates (or clusters), in which the nanoparticles are bound together by dispersion interactions. In this review, we present results of modeling of the kinetics of clusters formation and growth in fullerene C60 solutions of different polarity. The basic approach is the numerical solution of a system of kinetic equations of nucleation theory, applied here for the description of aggregation of fullerenes and accompanying effects. The non-monotonous time dependence of fullerene concentration during dissolution was investigated. A molecular-colloidal solution transition in polar systems is described. In addition, a model description of the critical effect of cluster decomposition after water addition to certain fullerene solutions is presented.