It is a family of newly discovered, the third allotropic form of carbon, quite distinct in structure and properties from the two earlier known forms — graphite and diamond. The first member of this new form of carbon, also called fullerene, was discovered in 1985 by a team of scientists led by Harold Kroto of the University of Sussex, U.K. and Richard Smalley of the Rice University, USA. Unlike graphite which has a plane layer of six-membered carbon rings and diamond which has a three-dimensional network of tetrahedrally bonded carbons, the newly discovered molecules have spherical cage-like structure, such as the famous geodesic dome invented by Buckminster Fuller. That is why the name fullerene. The most stable of these has 60 carbon atoms. The C-60 molecule has a magenta colour.
Fullerenes have several potential applications. As the fullerene molecule is spherical and very tough they may be used as lubricants. Small spheres of fullerenes can also act as molecular ball bearings. When combined with certain metals fullerenes become superconducting, that is, they conduct electricity without any loss. Fullerenes can also store large quantities of hydrogen. This fact has prompted many scientists to study their use as catalysts for various industrial chemical reactions. The same property also promises their use as electrodes in batteries.
Composites are materials made by combining two or more substances— one called the reinforcement and the other matrix— in such a way that the resultant product has better strength and property than the individual components. Weakness of one component is overcome by the strength of other component. Wood is the best example of a naturally occurring composite. It 
is composed of cellulose fibres as reinforcement in a lignin matrix. Similarly, in fibre-reinforced plastics glass fibre reinforcement is embedded in a plastic matrix to provide a much stronger product. The reinforcement, which could be a gas, particle or fibre, provides strength and stiffness to the composite. The matrix which could be any polymeric material, such as resin, or a metal or ceramic, holds the reinforcement and helps even distribution of the applied load within the composite. For best results the reinforcement and matrix should be compatible with each other. Normally, composites are made up of two dissimilar materials such as glass fibre and plastic but the same material can also be used both as the reinforcement and matrix, such as in ceramic-ceramic composites. Today, composites have become a part of our everyday life. They are also widely used in the aerospace industry as they provide an ideal combination of strength and light weight.
Catalytic converter is a device, fitted onto the exhaust pipes of petrol-driven automobiles which help reduce the emission of environmentally damaging gases from the automobiles. The exhaust fumes of petrol-driven automobiles using unleaded petrol contain gases like the nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and benzene which are harmful to health when inhaled. The catalytic converter helps convert these gases into harmless carbon dioxide, steam and nitrogen. The converter is made up of grids of ceramics or metal coated with catalysts like platinum, vanadium or rhodium. When the exhaust gases pass over it, the catalyst brings about chemical reactions converting the harmful gases into harmless ones. The converter cannot be used in automobiles using leaded petrol because the lead which is used in the fuel as an anti-knocking agent can inactivate the catalyst and render the device useless.
