A top-down approach to fullerene fabrication using a polymer nanoparticle precursor

A novel top-down fabrication of a fullerenes using polymer nanoparticles as the precursor is described. Polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticles with diameters of several nanometers are shown to be transformed into fullerenes by carbonization at around 1000 degreesC under atmospheric pressure of inert gas. Our concept presents a new method for the fabrication of fullerenes, and may be expanded to the use of new organic nanoparticles as fulerenes.