Buckminsterfullerene molecule, computer artwork. This molecule is a type of fullerene, a structural type (allotrope) of carbon. It has 60 carbon atoms arranged in a spherical structure consisting of interlinking hexagonal and pentagonal rings. Fullerenes are named after Richard Buckminster Fuller, a twentieth century American designer who pioneered the use of the geodesic dome in architecture. Buckminsterfullerene is also nicknamed Buckyball, because of its resemblance to a soccer ball.