Structural and electrical properties of an electron-beam-irradiated C60 film

The structural and electrical properties of an electron-beam (EB)-irradiated C60 film have been examined at room temperature, using in situ infrared (IR) spectroscopy and ex situ four-probe measurements. IR results show that the irradiated film is neither graphite nor carbon nanotube-like but a peanut-shaped C60 polymer. Current–voltage curve shows that the polymer exhibits a metallic property with a drastically reduced resistivity of 7 Ω cm in comparison with 108–1014 Ω cm for solid C60. This indicates the possibility of applying C60 molecules in EB nanofabrication processes and large potential for developing carbon-based nanodevices.