Hydrogen in fullerites Original Research Article

The peculiar kind of fullerene molecule structure is also reflected in the crystal structure of fullerites. The cubic lattices of metal fullerides and hydrofullerenes behave similarly to the cubic lattices of different metals and alloys. They form interstitial solid solutions when impurity elements are distributed in octahedral and tetrahedral interstitial sites. By replacement of C60 and C70 molecules in lattice sites they make up substitution solid solutions. Forming exo- and endohedral compounds, the fullerene molecules, located in sites of the crystal lattice, can modify greatly the crystal properties with no change of crystalline structure. Some peculiarities of fullerite crystalline structures will be discussed in the present paper.