  Over 150 solvents have been so far probed to dissolve light fullerenes - with
quite moderate success. Based on unusual electronic properties of the C60
fullerene and room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), we hereby propose to use
their mutual polarizability to significantly promote solubility of C60. We
report analysis supported by density functional theory with reliable hybrid
functional and large-scale molecular dynamics simulations with specifically
tuned empirical potential. The analysis suggests a workability of the proposed
mechanism and provides qualitatively new insights into obtaining real fullerene
solutions. Our preliminary findings open a wide avenue for engineering specific
solvents for fullerenes and, possibly, some other nanoscale carbonaceous
structures.
