Rare-Earths Fullerides

The diversified intercalation chemistry of fullerenes has been the starting point of a still growing number of new solid phases. The intercalated species can be non-metallic (P, S, halogen, for instance) or can be an alkali or alkaline-earth metal, an organic or organometallic cation. Due to their superconducting properties, some of these phases have raised considerable interest, the magnitude of their critical temperature being just behind the one of superconducting ceramics. The new family of rare-earths fullerides, though still restricted in number, exhibit superconducting properties (found in Yb, Sm and more recently in La-based compounds) or magnetic properties related with the intrinsic characteristics of the cations of the 4f series.