Fullerene

Fullerene

A soccer ball-like sphere of about 1 nm in diameter composed of 60 carbons, it was discovered in 1985; its discoverers, Dr. R. Smally, Dr. H. Kroto, and Dr. R. Curl, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996.
In addition to C60, there are also higher order fullerenes and other compounds composed of C70 and C84 carbons, which are said to have triggered nanotechnology.