MORPHOLOGICAL VERSATILITY OF SOLID C-60 FULLERENE .1. SOLID-STATE STUDIES OF YELLOW PLATES GROWN FROM BENZENE SOLUTIONS

C60 fullerene may crystallize from benzene solutions as thin yellow plates, whose morphology has suggested the existence of a hcp modification. By means of single crystal X-ray diffraction, we show that these plates crystallize in the cubic system (space group Fm3m, a = 14.155 angstrom). No trace of solvent could be observed by TGA and DSC experiments. Surprisingly, these plates do not exhibit the phase transition near 260 K. Nevertheless, the existence of a hcp variety cannot be discarded since scanning electron microscopy reveals the presence of hexagonal prisms in a sample made of pure C60 powder.