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Handbook of Fullerene Science and Technology pp 1–28Cite as

Endohedral Nitrogen Fullerenes

Abstract

There is a remarkable molecule that can be said to be nature’s atomic trap. This molecule is called an endohedral nitrogen fullerene. Endohedral nitrogen fullerenes (ENFs) and related molecules are the subject of this chapter. Endohedral fullerenes were discovered almost as soon as their empty-cage equivalents. However, ENFs were only available for studies more than a decade after the discovery of fullerenes. A number of endohedral metallofullerenes have been made in significant amounts. However, there are only a handful of ENFs studied to date. ENFs are remarkable for another reason too. Nitrogen is one of the most reactive elements known to science. This is somewhat concealed by the relative inertness of the nitrogen molecule. The nitrogen-nitrogen triple bond is after all one of the strongest bonds in the universe. However atomic nitrogen retains its high reactivity. So how come atomic nitrogen is stable inside a fullerene molecule? Well, it turns out the nitrogen wave function just about “fits snugly” inside the fullerene cage. This chapter describes the different methods of production of ENFs. The properties and chemical functionalization of ENFs are also explored with the aim to summarize progress made towards applications. There is still some way to go before ENFs can be used in real-life applications. This chapter describes what progress has been made and what challenges lay ahead before nature’s atomic traps find their way in commercially available products.

Keywords

  • Fullerenes
  • Endohedral fullerenes
  • ENF
  • Functionalization
  • Electron spin
  • Relaxation times
  • Quantum computing
  • Atomic clocks

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China

    Shen Zhou

  2. College of Aerospace Science and Engineering, National University of Defence Technology, Changsha, China

    Shen Zhou

  3. School of Engineering, University of Greenwich, Kent, UK

    Kyriakos Porfyrakis

Authors
  1. Shen Zhou
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  2. Kyriakos Porfyrakis
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Correspondence to Kyriakos Porfyrakis .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Eng., Huazhong University of Science and Technology., Wuhan, Hubei, China

    Prof. Xing Lu

  2. Foundation for Advancement of International Science, Tsukuba, Japan

    Prof. Takeshi Akasaka

  3. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huangzhou University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hebei, China

    Prof. Zdenek Slanina

Section Editor information

  1. Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Takeshi Akasaka Ph.D

  2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, P. R. China

    Takeshi Akasaka Ph.D

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Zhou, S., Porfyrakis, K. (2021). Endohedral Nitrogen Fullerenes. In: Lu, X., Akasaka, T., Slanina, Z. (eds) Handbook of Fullerene Science and Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3242-5_30-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3242-5_30-1

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