In chemistry

Chemistry

Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....

, a metallofullerene is a molecule

Molecule

A molecule is an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from ions by their electrical charge...

 composed of a metal

Metal

A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...

 atom trapped inside a fullerene

Fullerene

A fullerene is any molecule composed entirely of carbon, in the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. Spherical fullerenes are also called buckyballs, and they resemble the balls used in association football. Cylindrical ones are called carbon nanotubes or buckytubes...

 cage. These kinds of molecules hold a lot of potential in the advancement of materials design.

Simple metallofullerenes consist of a fullerene cage, typically C₈₀, with one or two metal atoms trapped inside. Recently, research has produced metallofullerenes that enclose small clusters of atoms, such as Sc₃N@C₈₀, Y₃N@C₈₀, and Sc₃C₂@C₈₀. The '@' symbol in the formula indicates that the atom(s) are encapsulated inside the cage, rather than being chemically bonded

Chemical bond

A chemical bond is an attraction between atoms that allows the formation of chemical substances that contain two or more atoms. The bond is caused by the electromagnetic force attraction between opposite charges, either between electrons and nuclei, or as the result of a dipole attraction...

to it.

Fullerenes in a variety of sizes have been found to encapsulate metal atoms in this way.