Production of fullerenes from solar energy: the Odeillo experiment

The high concentration of solar radiation, obtained with the Odeillo Solar Furnace (France) facilities, is used to vaporize graphite in a rarefied helium atmosphere. We show that the soot obtained contains C60, C70 and other heavier molecules. We discuss the possibility of using this technique, which can be improved on, to replace the usual process involving an electric arc between two graphite electrodes. (authors). 8 refs., 3 figs