Li4C60: a polymeric fulleride with a two-dimensional architecture and mixed interfullerene bonding motifs

All known fullerene polymers have interfullerene connections via either [2 + 2] cycloaddition or single C-C bonds. The high-resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction technique was employed here to determine the crystal structure of the Li4C60 fulleride. We find that the ground state of Li4C60 is a two-dimensional polymer with monoclinic crystal symmetry and an unprecedented architecture, combining both the [2 + 2] cycloaddition and the single C-C bridging motifs. The small size of the Li+ cations is crucial in stabilizing the resulting tightly packed polymeric structure.