We report the synthesis of single-layer graphenes from ethanol using, what we call, “flash cooling” just after chemical vapor deposition. The single-layer graphenes synthesized are high-quality and several micrometers in grain size as revealed by Raman spectroscopy. Detailed comparison of the cooling processes suggests that the single-layer graphene growth does not occur during the carbon precipitation but rather stems from surface diffusions of carbon on a nickel substrate. Because of the present simple and easiness for the large-scale synthesis under an inert gas atmosphere and at atmospheric pressure, the present method can easily be applied for the future large-scale and low-cost graphene production.

The first T(d)-symmetric lutetium metallofullerene, Lu(2)@C(76), has been synthesized, isolated, and characterized. Because of the charge transfer from the encapsulated Lu atoms to the T(d)-C(76) fullerene cage, the otherwise unstable T(d)-C(76) fullerene can be significantly stabilized as a Lu(2)@C(76) fullerene. Both STM and STS results are consistent with a charge state of (Lu(2))(6+)@C(76)(6-)(T(d)).

We identified the orientation of individual Lu@C 82 molecules on alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at a molecular resolution. STM images of Lu@C 82 on alkanethiol SAMs at 65 K showed a striped structure corresponding to the molecular orbitals of the Lu@C 82 molecule, suggesting that thermal rotation of Lu@C 82 on alkanethiol SAMs is prevented at 65 K. By comparing these molecular-resolution STM images with Kohn-Sham molecular orbitals of Lu@C 82 calculated by density functional theory (DFT), we identified the molecular orientation of Lu@C 82 . Spatial mapping of the differential conductance on individual Lu@C 82 molecules revealed that the local conductivity within a molecule became large around the Lu atom at a negative sample bias voltage. From spatial mapping of the differential conductance measurements, we also evaluated the HOMO-LUMO gap of Lu@C 82 to be 0.47 eV. From the results of the spatial mapping of the differential conductance and DFT calculations, the locally high conductivity around the Lu atom was attributed to the HOMO-2 level orbital concentrated on the Lu atom and its six nearest C atoms at 0.055 eV below the HOMO level. We demonstrated changes in the molecular orientation of Lu@C 82 by applying a high electric field (about 1 × 10 7 V/cm) with a large tunneling current (1.5 nA).