Actually, fullerene is a third category of carbon along with the diamond and plumbago, which is featured with the exclusive properties that create it ideal for the pure photovoltaic, photo resists and crude photo detectors and also spin-on carbon tough masks. The different geometric shape of fullerenes is equivalent to the Buckminster fuller’s geodesic dome that lead to their being named as Buckminsterfullerene. However, the distinct properties of fullerenes allow a vast array of application from the electronics to medicine, because they:
- Are exclusive radical scavengers
- Electronic structure, physical properties and solubility
- Feature the ultimate durability
- Can behave as super conductors via to semi-conductors
- Can be simply modified to tailor properties as a derivative and also enable the changes to their solubility, electronic structure and physical properties
Fullerenes features
The fullerenes are an allotropic kind of carbon that consists of pure carbon atoms. It’s well known example is C60 that shapes like a football, so the metal ions as well as other active agents can be enclosed in an inner cavity. Moreover, the fullerenes can also act as a guest molecule in the complexes with macro cyclic ligands such as cyclodextrins. Also, the bound fullerenes are able to react with other compounds such as aza-crown ethers that in revolve can combine other compounds as well. Due to their electrophilic and olefinic characteristics, the fullerenes can be able to react in many extra reactions such as nucleophilic addition of amines that can be used to accomplish the permanent fixation of fullerenes to wool fibres and polyamide as well.
Medicinal uses of fullerenes
Since their discovery, the fullerene has impressed the significant attention in various fields of science. The examinations of chemical, physical and biological properties of fullerenes have generated the hopeful information. It is also inferred that hydrophobicity, size, electronic configurations and three-dimensionality that build them a most appealing subject in the medicinal chemistry. Their different carbon cage structure is coupled with the massive possibility for derivatization that creates them a significant therapeutic agent.
However, the study of biological application has impressed the growing attention, despite the lesser solubility of carbon circles in the biological media. Furthermore, the fullerene family, particularly C60 has appealing the electrochemical, photo and physical properties that can be exploited in different medical fields. This fullerene will reconcile within the hydrophobic hollow of HIV proteases and also inhibit the contact of substrates. It can be utilized as antioxidant and radical scavenger as well.
