N. Sogoshi et al., High-resolution infrared absorption spectroscopy of C-60 molecules and clusters in parahydrogen solids, J PHYS CH A, 104(16), 2000, pp. 3733-3742
We report the isolation of C-60 molecules in cryogenic parahydrogen (pH(2))
solids by the rapid vapor deposition method. New theoretical simulations o
f rovibrational spectra for low-temperature isolated C-12(60) molecules, in
cluding boson-exchange symmetry restrictions on the rotational levels, pred
ict a characteristic "null gap" and unequal rotational line spacings for lo
w-J values. High-resolution IR absorption spectra of the C-60/pH(2) samples
failed to show rotationally resolved features, and in fact suggest that th
e majority of the C-60 molecules are not rotating. However, spectra of the
F-1u(1) vibrational mode near 530 cm(-1) show line widths of approximate to
0.2 cm(-1) fwhm, the sharpest IR absorption bands for C-60 reported to dat
e. Visible absorption spectra also show sharp features in the approximate t
o 600 nm region, supporting our contention of well-isolated C-60 molecules.
The C-60 molecules appear to stabilize the pH(2) solid, inhibiting the fee
to hcp conversion which usually occurs upon annealing of rapid vapor depos
ited pH(2) solids to T approximate to 5 K. We also report surprisingly stro
ng C-60-induced IR activity in the pH(2) solid, and propose this phenomenon
as a diagnostic for H-2 molecules adsorbed by carbon nanotubes, C-60/pH(2)
samples grown in an enclosed cell by laser ablation of solid C-60 appear t
o contain predominantly (C-60)(n) clusters; these clusters are too small to
exhibit "bulk" vibrational or electronic properties, as determined by IR a
nd UV/visible absorption spectroscopies. Future experiments to disentangle
the contributions of C-13 isotopic substitution, pH(2) matrix effects, and
the putative hindered rotation of C-60 molecules to the observed C-60/pH(2)
IR line shapes are presently under consideration.