Facile generation of fullerene nanoparticles by hand-grinding

A top-down approach to C-60 nanoparticle formation by simple hand-grinding of fullerene solids in an agate mortar is described (see figure). The resulting nanoparticles are found to disperse in water with or without the aid of a dispersing agent. In contrast to previous reports, no cytotoxicity was observed for the hand-ground C-60 nanoparticles.