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Difference Between Graphene and Fullerene

August 30, 2019 Posted by Madhu

The key difference between graphene and fullerene is that graphene has a two-dimensional structure, while fullerene has a three-dimensional structure.

Fundamentally, graphene and fullerene are allotropes of carbon. That is; there are four major allotropes of carbon; graphene, fullerene, and the other two are diamond and graphite.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Graphene
3. What is Fullerene
4. Side by Side Comparison – Graphene vs Fullerene in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Graphene?

Graphene is an allotrope of carbon which occurs as two-dimensional sheets, which can be named as “two-dimensional hexagonal lattice”. Moreover, it is an infinitely large aromatic molecule. The structure is as follows:

Difference Between Graphene and Fullerene

Figure 01: Structure of a Graphene Sheet

Furthermore, this material has a unique set of properties:

  • In comparison to its thickness, graphene is stronger than even the strongest steel.
  • It efficiently conduct heat and electricity
  • And, burns at very low temperatures
  • It is nearly transparent
  • Also, it is large and has nonlinear diamagnetism
  • Further, it has large quantum oscillations
  • Carbon atoms at the edges of its sheet have specific chemical reactivity
  • Moreover, the defects within the sheet enhance the chemical reactivity
  • Besides, the graphene sheets stack to form graphite

What is Fullerene?

Fullerene is an allotrope of carbon which occurs as spheres of carbon. Therefore, unlike graphene, fullerene is a 3D structure. Furthermore, it occurs as a large spheroidal molecule, and it consists of a cage formed by sixty or more atoms.

Key Difference - Graphene vs Fullerene

Figure 02: Structure of Fullerene

It is a closed structure, so there are no edges. Moreover, it has single and double bonds between carbon atoms. Moreover, the cage of fullerene is made by rings of carbon atoms (there can be 5 to 7 carbon atoms per ring). Though it mainly occurs as a sphere, it also can occur as an ellipsoid, tube or some other shape. Moreover, the size of the fullerene molecule may vary.

What is the Difference Between Graphene and Fullerene?

Graphene is an allotrope of carbon that occurs as sheets of carbon while fullerene is an allotrope of carbon which occurs as spheres of carbon. The key difference between graphene and fullerene is that graphene has a two-dimensional structure, while fullerene has a three-dimensional structure. Moreover, there are no edges in fullerene, but in grapheme, there are edges.

The below infographic summarizes the difference between graphene and fullerene.

Difference Between Graphene and Fullerene in Tabular Form

Summary – Graphene vs Fullerene

In brief, graphene and fullerene are important allotropic structures of carbon. The key difference between graphene and fullerene is that graphene has a two-dimensional structure, while fullerene has a three-dimensional structure.

Reference:

1. Devasena, Thiyagarajan, and Arul Prakash Francis. “Graphene: From Lab to Life.” Graphene, vol. 2, no. 1, Jan. 2014, pp. 62–66., doi:10.1166/graph.2014.1037.
2. Gautam, Rajeev K., and Anil Verma. “Electrocatalyst Materials for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Microbial Fuel Cell.” Microbial Electrochemical Technology, 2019, pp. 451–483., doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-64052-9.00018-2.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Graphen” By AlexanderAlUS – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “C60a” – original uploader was Mstroeck at English Wikipedia. But, later versions were uploaded by Bryn C at en.wikipedia. – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons. (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

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Filed Under: Inorganic Chemistry

About the Author: Madhu

Madhu is a graduate in Biological Sciences with BSc (Honours) Degree and currently persuing a Masters Degree in Industrial and Environmental Chemistry. With a mind rooted firmly to basic principals of chemistry and passion for ever evolving field of industrial chemistry, she is keenly interested to be a true companion for those who seek knowledge in the subject of chemistry.

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