Isomerization and channels of the loss of stability in chains of C20 fullerenes

The stability of quasi-one-dimensional chains consisting of C₂₀ fullerenes is investigated theoretically. The heights U of the potential barriers separating different metastable configurations (C₂₀) _N and the potential barriers preventing the decay of C₂₀ fullerences in the chains and their coalescence are determined. The results obtained indicate that chains with N ? 1 are characterized by a high stability and have a large number of isomers separated by low barriers.