Robert F. Curl

Robert F. Curl was an American scientist who, along with Richard R. Schrock and Harold W. Kroto, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996 for discovering and developing fullerene molecules, commonly known as "buckyballs." These are spherical arrangements of carbon atoms that resemble soccer balls and have unique properties useful in materials science and nanotechnology. His work helped expand our understanding of carbon’s versatility, opening new avenues in chemistry and materials engineering.