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Origami Molecular Footballs

Created: 2025-12-09

Author(s):
Floor Stikkelbroeck (NanoSpace), Simon Scarle

This activity introduces students to the world of nanoscience through the creation of an origami model of the C60 fullerene, also known as the “buckyball.” The molecule consists of 60 carbon atoms arranged in a geometry that also appears in soccer balls, fly’s eyes, geodesic domes, and some viruses: a spherical cage made of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons. By folding paper according to a guided origami sequence, students will build their own buckyball model and explore how simple geometric transformations can give rise to complex molecular structures.

The activity encourages learning through hands-on creation, visualisation, and analogy, while also introducing an artistic dimension through the elegance of paper folding. As they work, students gain an appreciation of how geometry and symmetry underpin both natural and man-made structures. Teachers can guide discussion on how carbon atoms connect, why this particular structure is stable, and where such molecules are found: from laboratories on Earth to distant nebulae in outer space.

Beyond the model itself, the project connects science at different scales. The nanometer size of C60 can be compared to everyday objects, helping students grasp the concept of scale in science. Background is provided on the discovery of fullerenes, their applications in technology and medicine, and their surprising role in astronomy.

This activity has been developed as part of the NanoSpace COST Action.

Materials

A presentation to introduce the topic in classroom (in pdf, with or without notes) - see attachment

For each Origami you will need:

at least 90 Origami Papers, different colours (Or A4 papers that you fold to be squares: https://www.instructables.com/Turning-A4-Paper-Into-a-Square/),
Optional: glue or tape for extra stability
Optional: something to open the folds with, like a toothpick

Goals

Getting acquainted with molecules with a hands-on activity
Understand what the C60 molecule is and why it is important
See how Art and Chemistry can Intersect

Learning Objectives

Recognize and describe the geometry of C60: recognize its structure made of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons arranged like a soccer ball, and that this geometry appears in both natural and man-made structures.
Understand carbon at the nanoscale: students will explore the concept of the nanometer, the size of molecules like C60, and relate this to familiar scales by comparing the number of C60 molecules that could fit inside a football.
Connect molecular structure to geometry (pentagons and hexagons): students will will build a 3D paper model of a C60 molecule using flat square origami papers.

Background

Carbon atoms are the most versatile atoms in the Universe. Each carbon can bond to 4 other atoms building complex shapes of rings, tubes, and large 3D molecules. This way it's able to make structures like DNA and proteins and is thus the very basis of life as we know it on Earth.

One of the shapes carbon can make is a Fullerene. Fullerenes are a special family of carbon molecules where the atoms form hollow cages. The most famous member is C60, also called Buckminsterfullerene or the buckyball. It is made of 60 carbon atoms arranged in a pattern of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons, the same geometry as a football (soccer ball). This structure is called a truncated icosahedron, one of the Archimedean solids, meaning they are special 3D shapes made by fitting together regular polygons, like triangles, squares, pentagons, and hexagons, in a neat repeating way.

Image: a representation of the Buckminsterfullerene, a football like structure build out of a pattern of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons. It’s also called a BuckyBall. Credits: NanoSpace COST Action

C60 is minuscule, only about 1 nanometre across, a billionth of a meter. To put this in perspective, a human hair is about 80,000 nanometres thick. If you could fill a normal football with C60 molecules, you could fit around 7 × 10²⁴ buckyballs inside.

The discovery of C60 in 1985 by Curl, Kroto, and Smalley was a major scientific breakthrough that earned them the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Later, in 2010, astronomers found C60 in space, in planetary nebulae and interstellar clouds. This confirmed that such complex carbon molecules are not just laboratory curiosities but part of cosmic chemistry.

Image: footballs are built up out of flat shapes of hexagons (6 angles) and pentagons (5 angles). Credits: NanoSpace COST Action

C60 is important because it connects geometry, chemistry, and astronomy. Its structure helps students see how simple shapes (hexagons and pentagons) can build complex forms at microscopic scales invisible to the naked eye. Its chemistry shows how carbon can create a variety of strong molecules. Furthermore, its detection in space demonstrates how life’s building blocks might be widespread in the universe.

Image: In nature we see these patterns in different places: on the left, in a fly’s eye and on the right, a dome shaped object. Credits: NanoSpace COST Action

What is Origami?

In this activity, students recreate the buckyball structure using origami units. Unlike the flat, foldable model (see activity "Microscopic Moleclar Footballs" ), the origami method allows to physically assemble the ball by locking together folded paper modules, mirroring how atoms join together. This hands-on process highlights the link between symmetry, stability, and beauty in molecular structures, and shows how art and science come together.

The Buckyball will be modelled with a special type of modular origami interlocking Pentagon-Hexagon Zig-Zag Units (PHiZZ). The units are sometimes described as ‘origami Lego’ because many simple pieces lock together to form a strong whole. The fold is forgiving, it does not need to be perfectly accurate, yet the finished ball is very stable. Interestingly, the unit also has a mirror-image version (chiral), which cannot connect with its opposite, a property it shares with many real molecules.with the help of these units you build a molecule build of 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons, just as a football. Remember that each pentagon is surrounded by 5 hexagons.

Further reading about Origami (material by Tom Hull):

If you want to know more about Fullerene:

Full Description

Before the activity

Print or project the folding diagrams / prepare the instruction video.
Make one or two example units in advance so students can see what the finished modules look like.
Organise students into small groups if desired (the model is big, so working in groups is recommended).
Have at least 30 square sheets of origami paper per student or group. Larger sheets (e.g. 10 × 10 cm) are easier for beginners.

Part 1: Introducing the Buckyball

You can use the ppt presentation to introduce the activity (see attachments)
Begin by showing a finished model of the buckyball and pictures of a Fly’s Eye, a Geodesic Dome, and a football (possibly showing a real life football if availbable) and ask the students what these shapes have in common.
Explain that C60 is a molecule made of 60 carbon atoms. It has the same pattern as a football: 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons. This makes it a special molecule called a “fullerene,” often nicknamed the buckyball.
Depending on the level of the students, you can briefly explain that the molecule is about 1 nanometre wide (a billionth of a meter), and that many trillions would fit inside a real football, as is mentioned on the resource page as well.
Tell the students they will build a paper model using a special origami module called the PHiZZ unit (Pentagon-Hexagon Zig-Zag).

Part 2. Folding a PHiZZ unit (5 minutes per unit, faster once learned)
Each student should fold at least a few units, so the work can be shared.

Start with a square sheet of paper
Fold it into fourths lengthwise (accordion pleat) to make a long strip.
Fold one top corner down into a triangle.
Fold the strip in on itself to create a small zig-zag shape.
Make one last fold to tuck the flap behind.
Now you have one PHiZZ unit with two flaps and two pockets.

(Tip: Show the first folds slowly, then let the students repeat. After 3-4 units, most will understand the pattern.)

Image: the steps to create the PHiZZ unit. Credits: NanoSpace COST Action

Part 3. Assembling the buckyball (30–60 minutes)

Show how to slide the flap of one unit into the pocket of another.
Three units joined together form a “corner.” Each corner is where three edges meet to become a unit. Each unit represents a bond between two carbon atoms, and the corners (vertices) where three units meet represent the carbon atoms themselves.
Keep adding units. Look for pentagons (5 edges) and hexagons (6 edges) forming naturally. remember that each pentagon is surrounded by only hexagons. When five edges close a loop, you have a pentagon; when six close, you have a hexagon.
Continue until the whole ball is closed. Once the ball is closed, the final product is very sturdy, so its worthwhile to keep going and you might actually be able to use this molecule as an actual football.

For a full C60 buckyball, you need 90 units (one for each edge of the truncated icosahedron).
For a simpler version (like a dodecahedron), you only need 30 units which is a good option for younger students or classes with less time.

Image: how to assemble the origami. Credits: NanoSpace COST Action

Part 4. Reflection and discussion (10 minutes)

Compare the origami model to a football and to images of the real C60 molecule.
Highlight that origami models mirror how geometry underlies real molecular structures.

Image: the origami Bulkyball finished. Credits: NanoSpace COST Action

Teacher Tips

Beginners may get frustrated; remind students that making the units is repetitive but gets easier with practice.
Divide the work: one group folds units, another group assembles.
Using different paper colours can make the pentagons and hexagons easier to see.
If short on time, build only part of the ball in class, then show a completed model.

Evaluation

Depending on the age and capacities of the students you can ask them the following questions:

Level Easy :

How many carbon atoms are in a Buckyball?
1. 20
2. 60
3. 100
What shapes make up the surface of C60?
1. Hexagons
2. Hexagons & pentagons
3. Squares & triangles
How big is one C60 Molecule?
1. about 1 nanometre
2. 1 centimetre
3. 20 centimetre
Where have scientists found C60 outside the laboratory?
1. In the ocean
2. In footballs
3. In outer space
Why is Carbon so important to life and science?
1. It can bond in many ways to form many different structures
2. It's the heaviest metal in the universe
3. It glows in the dark

Level Intermediate (requires more insight):

Why does the buckball shape (20 hexagons + 12 pentagons make such a stable molecule?
1. Because carbon atoms like to form four bonds, and this shape allows them to connect evenly
2. Because hexagons and pentagons are the most stable shapes that exist in nature
3. Because it is filled with air like a football
How do telescopes like Spitzer and JWST help scientists study molecules such as C60 in space?
1. By taking pictures of the molecules with visible light cameras
2. By sending astronauts to collect samples directly from nebulae
3. By measuring the infrared light that molecules give off, like a fingerprint
What does the discovery of C60 in planetary nebulae tell us about carbon in the universe?
1. That complex carbon molecules can form naturally in space and may be part of the cycle of stars and planets
2. That footballs exist in space too
3. That carbon is only important on Earth