Fullerene-fullerene collisions: Fragmentation and electron capture

In this paper, we describe collisions between high-energy (100-keV) fullerene ions (${\mathrm{C}}_{60}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}^{2+}$, ${\mathrm{C}}_{70}^{2+}$, and ${\mathrm{C}}_{70}^{3+}$) and ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$. The fast, forward-directed charged collision products are identified, leading to information on electron capture and loss as well as fragmentation. Similar studies are performed on rare-gas targets (He and Xe), and the fragmentation patterns and charge-exchange cross sections are compared and discussed. The electron-capture cross sections are two orders of magnitude larger for collisions with ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ as compared to Xe, while the smaller cluster-ion fragment peaks are only 3–6 times more intense. These observations are discussed in the light of the low ionization energy and the large mass and size of ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$.