Hydrogenated Fullerenes (Fulleranes) in Space

Abstract

Since the first laboratory synthesis of C${}_{60}$ in 1985, fullerene-related species have been proposed to interpret various astronomical features. After more than 25 years' efforts, several circumstellar and interstellar features have been convincingly assigned to C${}_{60}$, C${}_{70}$, and C${}_{60}^{+}$. These successes resulted from the recent advancements in observational, experimental, as well as computational techniques, and re-stimulated interest in searching for fullerene derivatives in space. As one of the most important fullerene derivatives, hydrogenated fullerene (fullerane) is likely to exist in circumstellar and interstellar conditions. This review gives an overview of the chemical properties and spectral signals of fulleranes focusing on those relevant to astronomy. We summarize previous proposals of fulleranes as the carrier of astronomical features at UV, optical, infrared, and radio wavelengths, and discuss the arguments favoring or disfavoring the presence of fulleranes in astronomical environments. Although no unambiguous detection of fulleranes in space has yet been reported, there are plausible evidences for supporting the formation of certain fullerane isomers.

arXiv comment10 pages, 3 figures, invited review article for a special issue of Astrophys. Space Sci. devoted to "Unexplained Spectral Phenomena in the ISM"

References in corpus (36)

• Electric Dipole Radiation from Spinning Dust Grains
• Formation of buckminsterfullerene (C60) in interstellar space
• C${}_{60}$ in Reflection Nebulae
• An Anomalous Component of Galactic Emission
• Formation of fullerenes in H-containing Planetary Nebulae
• Formation of PAHs and Carbonaceous Solids in Gas-Phase Condensation Experiments
• Evolution of PAHs in photodissociation regions: Hydrogenation and charge states
• The formation of fullerenes: clues from new C60, C70, and (possible) planar C24 detections in Magellanic Cloud Planetary Nebulae
• Detection of C60 in the proto-planetary nebula IRAS 01005+7910
• Detection of Extended Red Emisson in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium
• Are C60 molecules detectable in circumstellar shells of R Coronae Borealis stars?
• Unidentified Infrared Emission bands: PAHs or MAONs?
• Interstellar Fullerene Compounds and Diffuse Interstellar Bands
• The State-of-Play of Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME) Research
• Carbon-rich dust past the asymptotic giant branch: aliphatics, aromatics, and fullerenes in the Magellanic Clouds
• On the Excitation and Formation of Circumstellar Fullerenes
• The formation of cosmic fullerenes from arophatic clusters
• A Case Against Spinning PAHs as the Source of the Anomalous Microwave Emission
• A Dust Twin of Cas A: Cool Dust and 21-micron Silicate Dust Feature in the Supernova Remnant G54.1+0.3
• Calibration and Systematic Error Analysis For the COBE-DMR Four-Year Sky Maps
• The infrared spectrum of protonated buckminsterfullerene, C60H+
• A Tale of Two Mysteries in Interstellar Astrophysics: The 2175 Angstrom Extinction Bump and Diffuse Interstellar Bands
• Searching for stable fullerenes in space with computational chemistry
• Infrared spectroscopy of fullerene C60/anthracene adducts
• Excitation of the aromatic infrared emission bands: Chemical energy in hydrogenated amorphous carbon particles?
• C${}_{60}$ in Photodissociation Regions
• Anomalous microwave emission from spinning nanodiamonds around stars
• C60 as a probe for astrophysical environments
• Search for Hydrogenated C${}_{60}$ (fulleranes) in Circumstellar Envelopes
• Extended Red Emission in IC59 and IC63
• A Small Fullerene (C24) may be the Carrier of the 11.2 micron Unidentified Infrared Band
• Graphene Oxide Nanoparticles in the Interstellar Medium
• On the Relation between the Mysterious 21 Micrometer Emission Feature of Post-Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars and Their Mass Loss Rates
• On the dust properties of high redshift molecular clouds and the connection to the 2175 Å extinction bump
• GTC/CanariCam mid-IR imaging of the fullerene-rich Planetary Nebula IC 418: searching for the spatial distribution of fullerene-like molecules
• Are fulleranes responsible for the 21 micron feature?

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Towards a reliable prediction of the infrared spectra of cosmic fullerenes and their derivatives in the JWST era
• Unexplained Spectral Phenomena in the Interstellar Medium: an introduction
• Stability of C${}_{59}$ Knockout Fragments from Femtoseconds to Infinity