Non-statistical fragmentation of PAHs and fullerenes in collisions with atoms

•We compare statistical and non-statistical fragmentation of fullerenes and PAHs.•Non-statistical fragmentation is important in ∼100eV PAH-He collisions.•Non-statistical fragmentation gives highly reactive fragments. Non-statistical fragmentation processes may be important when Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon molecules (PAHs), fullerenes, or other large complex molecules collide with atoms and atomic ions. For collisions with hydrogen or helium this occurs for center-of-mass energies between a few tens to a few hundreds of electron volts and typically results in losses of single atoms. In such processes one forms much more reactive fragments than in statistical fragmentation, which instead are dominated by losses of C2- or C2H2-molecules (H-atoms) from fullerenes and PAHs, respectively. An enhanced reactivity has recently been demonstrated for van der Waals clusters of C60 molecules where prompt knockouts of single C-atoms from one of the fullerenes yield highly reactive C59+ fragments, which easily form covalent bonds with a C60 molecule inside the clusters.