The discovery of the fullerene (C60) in 1985 has spurred the subsequent discoveries of a number of related novel forms of carbon found existingat the nanometer scale. These various nanocarbons are related one another in structure, providing an interesting spectrum of variants which display an array of unique properties, for very distinct applications. From the vast amount of research that has been carried out over the last two decades, it is now apparent that some of these nanocarbons, notably, nanotubes, nanoparticles, and nanowires, possess unique properties, with the potential to add great value to industrial applications.

It is expected that studies on these nanomaterials and related technologies will have huge impacts on the future nanotechnology and contribute significantly to economy and society. Since the research is at the crossroads between different technologies and disciplines involving materials science, chemistry, physics, engineering, and nanotechnology, its implementation will greatly benefit new, high-tech industries and also help the transformation of traditional carbon-based industries from a resource-intensive to a knowledge-intensive base. However, major challenges exist in the research area, which are mainly associated with providing answers to key questions such as how to control the novel nanostructures of the materials, how to produce them in commercial quantities and at relatively low cost, and how to apply them by specific requirements.

The main focus of this special issue will be on the nanocarbons of displaying fullerene-related nanostructures, which may cover nanoparticles, nanowires, nanosheets, nanotubes and fullerene-based nanopolymers. Reports and reviews are encouraged to demonstrate why the materials are fundamentally interesting in either structure or property, or practically important for applications. This special issue will serve as an international forum for researchers to communicate the most recent advances in relevant fields. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Nanocarbons with novel structures and properties
• New synthetic approaches to the materials and their hybrid nanostructures
• Theoretical and experimental studies on the reaction kinetics for providing new insights into growth mechanisms
• Phenomena related to quantum size effect or the low dimensionality of nanocarbons
• New instruments or methods for characterising the materials
• Nanocarbons for applications in catalysis, energy harvesting and storage, green chemistry, and nanotechnology
• Nanocarbon-related health and safety studies

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