Swift heavy ion induced modifications of fullerene C70 thin films

Modifications of the C-70 molecule (fullerene) under swift heavy ion irradiation are investigated. C-70 thin films were irradiated with 120 MeV Au ions at fluences from 1 x 10(12) to 3 x 10(13) ions/cm(2). The energetic ion impacts lead to the destruction of the C-70 molecule. To investigate the stability of C-70 fullerene, the damage cross-section and radius of the damaged cylindrical zones are evaluated by fitting the evanescence of C-70 vibration modes recorded by Raman spectroscopy. Conductivity measurements together with Raman and optical absorption studies revealed that an irradiation fluence of 3 x 10(13) ions/cm(2) results in complete amorphization of the carbon structure of the fullerene molecules. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.