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Fullerenes are a new allotropic form of carbons belonging to the nanoforms of carbon. Belonging to the group of fullerenes are spherical fullerenes, also called buckyballs, and cylindrical ones. The latter are known as single‐wall nanotubes (SWNT) and multiwall nanotubes (MWNT). The existence of the fullerene C 60 was firstly predicted in 1970 [19] as a spherical molecule built entirely from carbon atoms. To compensate for the molecular tension, fullerenes contain decide hexagonal rings also pentagonal ones. The first fullerene was prepared by Smalley and coworkers [20]. The name of Iijima is today mostly associated with carbon nanotubes (1991) although he had successfully described fullerenes by high resolution electron microscopy already in 1980 [21]. The method for the production of fullerenes in reasonable amounts was developed in 1990 [22].

Due to the extraordinary properties of these new allotropes, a scientific stampede went on accompanied by huge expectations for revolutionary application. Main hopes are in medical application like tumor research and drug delivery. Others are in material reinforcement, superconductivity, hydrogen storage, sensor technology, and electronic circuits. Mostly 30 years after the first preparation of fullerenes, the big expectations have not been realized, and the nanoforms of carbon are still more subject to academic research than industrial application.