Asymptotic enumeration of perfect matchings in $m$-barrel fullerene graphs

Abstract

A connected planar cubic graph is called an $m$-barrel fullerene and denoted by $F(m,k)$, if it has the following structure: The first circle is an $m$-gon. Then $m$-gon is bounded by $m$ pentagons. After that we have additional k layers of hexagons. At the last circle $m$-pentagons connected to the second $m$-gon. In this paper we asymptotically count by two different methods the number of perfect matchings in $m$-barrel fullerene graphs, as the number of hexagonal layers is large, and show that the results are equal.