It is a family of newly discovered, the third allotropic form of carbon, quite distinct in structure and properties from the two earlier known forms — graphite and diamond. The first member of this new form of carbon, also called fullerene, was discovered in 1985 by a team of scientists led by Harold Kroto of the University of Sussex, U.K. and Richard Smalley of the Rice University, USA. Unlike graphite which has a plane layer of six-membered carbon rings and diamond which has a three-dimensional network of tetrahedrally bonded carbons, the newly discovered molecules have spherical cage-like structure, such as the famous geodesic dome invented by Buckminster Fuller. That is why the name fullerene. The most stable of these has 60 carbon atoms. The C-60 molecule has a magenta colour.
Fullerenes have several potential applications. As the fullerene molecule is spherical and very tough they may be used as lubricants. Small spheres of fullerenes can also act as molecular ball bearings. When combined with certain metals fullerenes become superconducting, that is, they conduct electricity without any loss. Fullerenes can also store large quantities of hydrogen. This fact has prompted many scientists to study their use as catalysts for various industrial chemical reactions. The same property also promises their use as electrodes in batteries.