The motion of a C60 molecule over a graphene sheet at finite temperature was investigated both theoretically and computationally. It was shown that a graphene sheet generates a van der Waals laterally periodic potential, which directly influences the motion of external objects in its proximity. The translational motion of a C60 molecule near a graphene sheet was found to be diffusive in the lateral directions, while in the perpendicular direction, the motion may be described as diffusion in an effective harmonic potential which was determined from the distribution function of the position of the C60 molecule. The rotational diffusion of C60 was also examined and it was shown that its motion over the graphene sheet was not a rolling motion.

Diffusive Motion of C60 on a Graphene Sheet. Neek-Amal, M., Abedpour, N., Rasuli, S.N., Naji, A., Ejtehadi, M.R.: Physical Review E, 2010, 82[5], 051605