Langmuir Blodgett Films of C60 and C60-Materials. In: Guldi DM, Martin N, editors. Fullerenes: From Synthesis to Optoelectronic Properties. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands; 2002. pp. 327-85. [DOI: 10.1007/978-94-015-9902-3_11]

Supramolecular [60]fullerene chemistry on surfaces

This critical review documents the exceptional range of research avenues in [60]fullerene-based monolayers showing unique and spectacular physicochemical properties which prompted such materials to have potential applications in several directions, ranging from sensors and photovoltaic cells to nanostructured devices for advanced electronic applications, that have been pursued during the past decade. It illustrates how progress in covalent [60]fullerene functionalisation led to the development of spectacular surface-immobilised architectures, including dyads and triads for photoinduced electron and energy transfer, self-assembled on a wide variety of surfaces. All of these molecular assemblies and supramolecular arrays feature distinct properties as a consequence of the presence of different molecular units and their spatial arrangement. Since the properties of [60]fullerene-containing films are profoundly controlled by the deposition conditions, substrate of adsorption, and influenced by impurities or disordered surface structures, the progress of such new [60]fullerene-based materials strongly relies on the development of new versatile and broad preparative methodologies. Therefore, the systematic exploration of the most common approaches to prepare and characterise [60]fullerene-containing monolayers embedded into two- or three-dimensional networks will be reviewed in great detail together with their main limitations. Recent investigations hinting at potential technological applications addressing many important fundamental issues, such as a better understanding of interfacial electron transfer, ion transport in thin films, photovoltaic devices and the dynamics associated with monolayer self-assembly, are also highlighted.

Ordering fullerene materials at nanometer dimensions

The combination of the hydrophobic fullerene core with hydrophilic functional groups of both ionic and nonionic nature produces organized structures with sizes that range from nanometer to micrometer length scales. The driving force toward this spontaneous organization is the amphiphilic character of the fullerene derivatives. To control both shape and size of the supramolecular assemblies and ultimately their function, important parameters that must be tuned are (i) the balance between the hydrophobic and the hydrophilic moieties, (ii) the effect of the environment, typically provided by simple solvents, (iii) the interface on which the aggregation occurs or, more precisely, surface templating effects, and (iv) the solvation process.

Coordination chemistry of buckybowls: from corannulene to a hemifullerene

This work highlights the progress made in coordination chemistry of transition-metal centers to open geodesic polyaromatic hydrocarbons that map onto the surface of C60, the family of compounds known as buckybowls or 'fullerene fragments'. In particular, an overview of our recent gas-phase coordination studies of several bowl-shaped polyarenes toward the dinuclear metal complex, [Rh2(O2CCF3)4], is given. Selected buckybowls include corannulene (C20H10) and two of its derivatives, namely dibenzo[a,g]corannulene (C28H14) and 1,3,5,7,9-penta-tert-butylcorannulene (C40H50), as well as a hemifullerene (C30H12). This study has resulted in the first X-ray structural characterization of buckybowl coordination complexes and has revealed eta2-rim coordination preferences of open geodesic polyarenes in rhodium(ii) binding reactions.

Langmuir-Shäfer Transfer of Fullerenes and Porphyrins: Formation, Deposition, and Application of Versatile Films

Thin films consisting of a fulleropyrrolidine derivative 1 and a novel water-soluble porphyrin 2 were prepared by the Langmuir-Shäfer (LS, horizontal lifting) method. In particular, a solution of 1 in chloroform and dimethyl sulfoxide was spread on the water surface, while porphyrin 2 (bearing peripheral anionic groups) was dissolved into the aqueous subphase. To the best of our knowledge, such a versatile method of film fabrication for fullerene/porphyrin mixed composite films has never been used before. Evidence of the effective interactions between the two moieties at the air-water interface was obtained from the analysis of the floating layers by means of surface pressure versus area per molecule Langmuir curves, Brewster angle microscopy and UV-visible reflection spectroscopy. The characterisation of the LS films by UV-visible spectroscopy reveals that the two constituents behave as discrete and weakly interacting pi systems. The use of polarised light suggests the existence of a preferential direction of the macrocyclic rings with an edge-on arrangement with respect to the substrate surface. Finally, photoaction spectra were recorded from films deposited by only one horizontal lifting onto indium-tin-oxide (ITO) electrodes and the observed photocurrent increased notably with increasing transfer surface pressure.