Fullerene self-assembly and supramolecular nanostructures

The Effect of Different Substances Embedded in Fullerene Cavity on Surfactant Self-Assembly Behavior through Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Fullerene-based amphiphiles are new types of monomers that form self-assemblies with profound applications. The conical fullerene amphiphiles (CFAs) have attracted attention for their uniquely self-assembled structures and have opened up a new field for amphiphile research. The CFAs and CFAs with different substances embedded in cavities are designed and their self-assembly behaviors are investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The surface and internal structures of the micelles are analyzed from various perspectives, including micelle size, shape, and solvent-accessible surface area (SASA). The systems studied are all oblate micelles. In comparison, embedding Cl- or embedding Na+ in the cavities results in larger micelles and a larger deviation from the spherical shape. Two typical configurations of fullerene surfactant micelles, quadrilateral plane and tetrahedral structure, are presented. The dipole moments of the fullerene molecules are also calculated, and the results show that the embedded negatively charged Cl- leads to a decrease in the polarity of the pure fullerene molecules, while the embedded positively charged Na+ leads to an increase.

Supramolecular Engineering of Crystalline Fullerene Micro-/Nano-Architectures

Fullerenes are a molecular form of carbon allotrope and bear certain solubility, which allow the supramolecular assembly of fullerene molecules-also together with other complementary compound classes-via solution-based wet processes. By well-programmed organizing these building blocks and precisely modulating over the assembly process, supramolecularly assembled fullerene micro-/nano-architectures (FMNAs) are obtained. These FMNAs exhibit remarkably enhanced functions as well as tunable morphologies and dimensions at different size scales, leading to their applications in diverse fields. In this review, both traditional and newly developed assembly strategies are reviewed, with an emphasis on the morphological evolution mechanism of FMNAs. The discussion is then focused on how to precisely regulate the dimensions and morphologies to generate functional FMNAs through solvent engineering, co-crystallization, surfactant incorporation, or post-fabrication treatment. In addition to C₆₀ -based FMNAs, this review particularly focuses on recently fabricated FMNAs comprising higher fullerenes (e.g., C₇₀ ) and metallofullerenes. Meanwhile, an overview of the property modulation is presented and multidisciplinary applications of FMNAs in various fields are summarized, including sensors, optoelectronics, biomedicines, and energy. At the end, the prospects for future research, application opportunities, and challenges associated with FMNAs are proposed.

Catalysis to discriminate single atoms from subnanometric ruthenium particles in ultra-high loading catalysts

We report a procedure for preparing ultra-high metal loading (10–50% w/w Ru) Ru@C₆₀ nanostructured catalysts comprising exclusively Ru single atoms or mixtures of single atoms and clusters.

Manipulating the Structural Transformation of Fullerene Microtubes to Fullerene Microhorns Having Microscopic Recognition Properties

We report the production of fullerene microtubes (FMTs), having solid cores bisecting their tubular cavities, from solutions of mixtures of fullerene C₆₀ and C₇₀ and have demonstrated the structural transformation of FMTs to fullerene microhorns (FMHs) upon their exposure to alcohol/mesitylene mixtures at 25 °C. The conically shaped microhorns have hollow interiors and exhibit preferential recognition of silica particles over fullerene C₇₀, polystyrene (PS) latex, PS hydroxylate, or PS carboxylate particles of similar dimensions due to strong electrostatic interactions between negatively charged FMHs and positively charged silica particles.

Directed assembly of fullerene on modified Au(111) electrodes

Here we show a conceptual approach to realize the scanning tunneling microscopy based induced-assembly of fullerene (C60) molecules on top of a buffer organic adlayer at room temperature in a solution environment. The realization of spatially-defined C60 assembly is attributed to the modulation of substrate-molecular interactions with the assistance of a buffer layer.

Hydrogen bonding vs. molecule-surface interactions in 2D self-assembly of [C60]fullerenecarboxylic acids

The adsorption of C₆₀-malonic derivatives C₆₁(CO₂H)₂ and C₆₆(CO₂H)₁₂ on Au(111) and a pentafluorobenzenethiol-modified Au substrate (PFBT@Au) has been investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at a liquid-solid interface. Monofunctionalized C₆₁(CO₂H)₂ forms a hexagonal close-packed overlayer on Au(111) and individual aligned dimers on PFBT@Au(111). The difference is attributed to the nature of the substrateC₆₁(CO₂H)₂ interaction (isotropic π-Au bonding vs. anisotropic PFBTCOOH interactions). Surprisingly, in both cases, the directionality of the COOHCOOH motif is compromised in favor of synergistic van der Waals/H bonding interactions. Such van der Waals contacts are geometrically unfeasible in hexafunctionalized C₆₆(CO₂H)₁₂ and its assembly on Au(111) leads to a 2D molecular network controlled exclusively by H bonding. For both molecules, the "free" CO₂H groups on the monolayer surface can engage in out-of-plane H bonding interaction resulting in the epitaxial growth of subsequent molecular layers.

Facile Method toward Hierarchical Fullerene Architectures with Enhanced Hydrophobicity and Photoluminescence

A two-step self-assembly strategy has been developed for the preparation of fullerene hierarchical architectures. Typically, the precipitation method is utilized to synthesize the initial fullerene microstructures, and subsequently a drop-drying process is employed to facilitate the fullerene microstructures to self-assemble into the final hierarchical structures. Overall, this methodology is quite simple and feasible, which can be applied to prepare fullerene hierarchical structures with different morphological features, simply by choosing proper solvent. Moreover, the as-obtained C70 hierarchical structures have many superior properties over the original C70 microrods such as superhydrophobicity and unique photoluminescence behaviors, promising their applications as waterproof optoelectronics.

Fulleropyrrolidine molecular dumbbells act as multi-electron-acceptor triads. Spectroscopic, electrochemical, computational and morphological characterizations

Three novel fulleropyrrolidine dumbbells consisting three electron acceptor moieties joined by alkyl linker displaying tunable electrical and morphological properties were synthesized and characterized.

Self-assembled fullerene nanostructures

This review briefly summarizes recent developments in fabrication techniques of shape-controlled nanostructures of fullerene crystals across different length scales and the self-assembled mesostructures of functionalized fullerenes both in solutions and solid substrates.

Molecular assembly of fullerene-conjugated phthalocyanine derivative on Au(111) at single molecular level

Molecular adlayers of doubly C(60)-conjugated phthalocyanine derivatives ((C(60))(2)NiPc) were examined on bare and zinc(II) octaethylporphyrin (ZnOEP)- and coronene-modified Au(111) surfaces. Electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM) has revealed the structure of the (C(60))(2)NiPc adlayer at single molecular level. The (C(60))(2)NiPc adlayer is strongly influenced by the underlying organic layers, i.e., a disordered, a packed structure of (C(60))(2)NiPc was found on a clean Au(111) surface because of the strong interaction between (C(60))(2)NiPc molecule and Au(111) substrate, whereas a single (C(60))(2)NiPc molecule was clearly distinguished both on ZnOEP and coronene adlayers at a low coverage of (C(60))(2)NiPc molecules. The obtained results in the present study suggest that the underlying organic adlayers play an important role in the formation process of the (C(60))(2)NiPc molecule adlayer.

The effect of cooperative Jahn-Teller interactions on C60(-) anions

Singly charged buckminsterfullerene anions, C60(-), are subject to a strong intramolecular [Formula: see text] Jahn-Teller (JT) effect. When such ions interact with other C60(-) ions in a solid through a cooperative JT effect, they will be subject to an additional interaction. There are a number of different mechanisms that can cause this interaction. However, in the molecular field approximation, all can be modelled phenomenologically in terms of a symmetry-lowering interaction written in terms of a linear combination of electronic operators for the h modes involved in the intramolecular JT effect. We will consider the combined effect of this distortion and the intramolecular JT effect. We will analyse the lowest adiabatic potential energy surface, and calculate the energies of the resultant vibronic states. The results are shown to have a complicated dependence on the particular combination of h modes chosen, and the energies of the resultant vibronic states cannot easily be deduced from the form of the potential alone.