Surfaces and thin films of fullerenes

We review the basic properties of fullerene thin films, focusing on issues such as morphology, electronic structure, conduction and optical properties, and phase transitions. After discussing the preparation methods of fullerene films, we describe some of the most significant experimental results obtained on these systems by optical and electron spectroscopy, scanning probe microscopy, and electrical measurements. Throughout the chapter, we compare several different materials ranging from pristine fullerite, compounds with alkali, alkaline earth and rare earth elements, fullerene polymers, as well as pristine and intercalated endofullerenes. The emphasis is on the aspects related to the impact of surfaces and interfaces on electronic and structural features, on the dependence of physical properties upon film thickness (from mono- to multilayer to thick films), and on the comparison of thin-film and surface characteristics with corresponding bulk properties.