New Directions in Intercalation Research

Abstract

Since the start of this decade (the 1990's), intercalation has become a more important tool for modifying the structure and properties of host materials, both because of the important new systems to which intercalation has been applied and because of the new science and technology that has been made possible by these discoveries. Recently, the intercalation of fullerenes by alkali metals have demonstrated intercalation in zero-dimensional systems. The observation of relatively high T_c superconductivity in certain alkali metal intercalated fullerenes has attracted much attention. Even more recent is the introduction of guest species into one-dimensional carbon nanotubules. Intercalation has also been used to gain insights into the properties of high T_c cuprates. A review is given here of recent advances in the intercalation of GICs and of new materials systems with particular relevance to the implication of this work on more traditional areas of intercalation physics.