Abstract: The crystal field in the orientationally disordered phase of C90-fullerite is derived from an intermolecular potential model, which takes into account the geometric difference between double bonds and single bonds. The molecules are modelled as rigid bodies, atoms and single bonds are treated as single interaction centers, while double bonds are described by a distribution of interaction centers along the bond. The crystal field is expanded in terms of cubic rotator functions. The calculated expansion coefficients are compared with empirical values derived from diffraction data. The angular dependence of the crystal field, resulting from an anticlockwise rotation of the molecule around the [111] axis, exhibits an absolute and a secondary minimum at angles of 98-degrees and 38-degrees respectively. The self interaction of the molecule in a deformable lattice is investigated.

Abstract: We study the confinement of a C-60 molecule encapsulated in a cylindrical nanotube as a function of the tube radius. Drawing the Mercator maps of the potential, we find two distinct molecular orientations; for tubes with small radii, R-T less than or similar to 7 angstrom, a fivefold axis of the molecule coincides with the tube long axis, for larger radii, R-T less than or similar to 8 angstrom, a threefold axis of the molecule coincides with the tube long axis. These different orientations are caused by the relative importance of the repulsive and the attractive parts of the van der Waals potentials of the molecule with the tube wall for small and large tubes respectively. Experimental evidence is provided by the apparent splitting of A(g) modes of the C-60 molecule in resonant Raman scattering.

Abstract: Polymerized KC60 undergoes a structural phase transition accompanied by a metal-insulator transition around 50 K. To explain the structural aspect, a mechanism involving small orientational deviations of the valence electron density on every C-60 monomer orientational charge density waves (OCDWs) – has already been proposed earlier. In the present work, we address the metal-insulator transition using the OCDW concept. We are inspired by the analogy between a polymer chain exhibiting an OCDW and a linear atomic chain undergoing a static lattice deformation doubling the unit cell: such a deformation implies a band gap at the zone boundary, yielding an insulating state (Peierls instability). Within our view, a similar mechanism occurs in polymerized KC60; the OCDW plays the role of the lattice deformation. We present tight-binding band structure calculations and conclude that the metal-insulator transition can indeed be explained using OCDWs, but that the threedimensionality of the crystal plays an unexpected key role.

Abstract: Hydrogen-bonded ferroelectrics are modelled by a coupled spin/nonlinear lattice (polarizability) interaction Hamiltonian, where specifically the geometry of the hydrogen bond is included. The model leads to a structural phase transition and describes correctly the isotope effect due to the substitution H/D in hydrogen-bonded systems in terms of bond length changes.

Abstract: Starting from a microscope model of the intermolecular potential, a unified description is presented of the Bragg scattering law in the orientationally disordered and in the ordered phase of solid C-60. The orientational structure factor is expanded in terms of symmetry-adapted surface harmonics. The expansion coefficients are calculated from theory and compared with experiment Their temperature evolution is studied in the disordered phase at the 260 K transitions and in the ordered phase. In the ordered phase, new results from high-resolution neutron powder diffraction are given. In the disordered phase, space group Fm $($) over bar$$ 3m, the reflections have A(1g) symmetry; in the ordered phase, space group Pa $$($) over bar 3, reflections of T-2g symmetry appear and in addition the A(1g) reflections are renormalized. The orientational density distribution is calculated. The effective crystal-field potential is constructed, its temperature evolution in the ordered phase is studied and related to the occurrence of an orientational glass.

Abstract: The giant isotope effect on the ferro- and antiferroelectric transition temperature upon deuteration of hydrogen-bonded systems is well known experimentally since various decades. Yet, theoretically only recently a microscopic understanding of this effect has been achieved which, specifically, took into account the geometry of the O ... H ... O bond. The implications of this modeling are multiple as numerous hydrogen-bonded organic systems show the same effects as ferro- and antiferroelectrics, i.e., cooperative proton tunneling at a well-defined temperature.

Abstract: Starting from a model of rigid interacting C-60 polymer chains on an orthorhombic lattice, we study the mutual orientation of the chains and the stability of the crystalline structures Pmnn and I2/m. We take into account (i) van der Waals interactions and electric quadrupole interactions between C-60 monomers on different chains as well as (ii) interactions of the monomers with the surrounding alkali atoms. The direct interactions (i) always lead to an antiferrorotational structure Pmnn with alternate orientation of the C-60 chains in planes (001). The interactions (ii) with the alkalis consist of two parts: translation-rotation (TR) coupling where the orientations of the chains interact with displacements of the alkalis, and quadrupolar electronic polarizability (ep) coupling, where the electric quadrupoles on the C-60 monomers interact with induced quadrupoles due to excited electronic d-states of the alkalis. Both interactions (ii) lead to an effective orientation-orientation interaction between the C-60 chains and always favor the ferrorotational structure I2/m, where C-60 chains have a same orientation. The structures Pmnn for KC60 and I2/m for Rb- and CsC60 are the result of a competition between the direct interaction (i) and the alkali-mediated interactions (ii). In Rb- and CsC60 the latter are found to be dominant, the preponderant role being played by the quadrupolar electronic polarizability of the alkali ions. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.