N@C60 formation by laser-induced breakdown in nitrogen gas flow

Abstract

Nitrogen-atom-endohedral C 60 (N@C 60 ) was generated by laser induced breakdown in gaseous N 2 occurring near the surface of a C 60 film. The yield was estimated to be 3 × 10 −8 –5 × 10 −7 with respect to the empty C 60 . The high-density ion bunch plays a crucial role in generating N@C 60 , in contrast to the case of continuous ion beam sources.