Electrical and Optical Properties of Fullerenol Langmuir−Blodgett Films Deposited on Polyaniline Substrates

Dynamic Surface Properties of Fullerenol Solutions

Application of dilational surface rheology, surface tensiometry, ellipsometry, Brewster angle, and transmission electron and atomic force microscopies allowed the estimation of the structure of the adsorption layer of a fullerenol with a large number of hydroxyl groups, C₆₀(OH) _X ( X = 30 ± 2). The surface properties of fullerenol solutions proved to be similar to the properties of dispersions of solid nanoparticles and differ from those of the solutions of conventional surfactants and amphiphilic macromolecules. Although the surface activity of fullerenol is not high, it forms adsorption layers of high surface elasticity up to 170 mN/m. The layer consists of small interconnected surface aggregates with the thickness corresponding to two-three layers of fullerenol molecules. The aggregates are not adsorbed from the bulk phase but formed at the interface. The adsorption kinetics is controlled by an electrostatic adsorption barrier at the interface.

The influence of distribution of hydroxyl groups on vibrational spectra of fullerenol C60(OH)24 isomers: DFT study

The infrared and Raman spectra of C60(OH)24 molecule with uniform and non-uniform distribution of hydroxyl groups have been investigated using first principle DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. The important features of the obtained geometries have been measured and compared to experimental results. The reference calculations of C60 molecule geometry and vibrational spectra have been made and compared to available experimental data. The striking differences of infrared spectra between C60(OH)24 molecule with uniform and non-uniform distribution of hydroxyl groups have been shown and discussed. The OH modes have been identified as the most sensitive to C60(OH)24 isomer configuration. The C-C stretching modes in the Raman spectra of the C60(OH)24 molecule have been found as a potential sensor of OH groups distribution over fullerene C60 surface.

Efficient synthesis of fullerenol in anion form for the preparation of electrodeposited films

The first electrochemical characterization of the much-studied "fullerenols" has been carried out. The fullerenol was prepared by the reaction of C(60) in deoxygenated tetrahydrofuran with an aqueous NaOH solution using sodium zincate as an electrophilic reagent. The obtained fullerenol is not simply polyhydroxylated C(60) but is a structurally and electronically complex C(60) anion with a molecular formula of Na(+) (2)[C(60) (OH)(12)(O)(2)](2-). This negatively charged fullerenol is in the form of a spherical cluster of 50 nm in diameter, and it can migrate in the same solution to an anode surface and be oxidized into the less soluble fullerenol C(60)O(OH)(12), when 10 V is applied to the electroplating bath. A uniform film, with a particle of 50-250 nm in diameter and a thickness of a few 10-100s of nanometers, is obtained by drying the fullerenol covered anode. This is the first time that studies of water-soluble fullerenols acting as anions for electrodeposited film preparation have been reported. The deposition mechanism has been further demonstrated by electrochemical measurements and dissolved oxygen concentration testing to be an oxidation process consisting of two anodic oxygen evolution processes.

Stability of highly OH-covered C60 fullerenes: role of coadsorbed O impurities and of the charge state of the cage in the formation of carbon-opened structures

We have performed both semiempirical as well as ab initio density functional theory calculations in order to investigate the structural stability of highly hydroxylated C60(OH)32 fullerenes, so-called fullerenols. Interestingly, we have found that low-energy atomic configurations are obtained when the OH groups are covering the C60 in the form of small hydroxyl islands. The previous formation of OH molecular domains on the carbon surface, stabilized by hydrogen bonds between neighboring OH groups, defines the existence of C60(OH)32 fullerene structures with some elongated C-C bonds, closed electronic shells, and large highest occupied-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy gaps, with the latter two being well-known indicators of high chemical stability in these kind of carbon compounds. The calculated optical absorption spectra show that the location of the first single dipole-allowed excitation strongly depends on the precise distribution of the OH groups on the surface, a result that, combined with optical spectroscopy experiments, might provide an efficient way to identify the structure of these kinds of fullerene derivatives. We found that the presence of a few coadsorbed oxygen species on the fullerene surface leads in general to the existence of C60(OH)32O(x) (x = 1-4) compounds in which some of the C-C bonds just below the O impurities are replaced by C-O-C bridge bonds, leading to the formation of stable carbon-opened structures in agreement with the recent experimental work of Xing et al. (J. Phys. Chem. B 2004, 108, 11473). Actually, a more dramatic cage destruction is obtained when considering multiply charged C60(OH)32O(x)(+/-m) (m = 2, 4, 6) species (that can exist in both gas-phase and aqueous environments), where now sizable holes made of 9- and 10-membered rings can exist in the carbon network. We believe that our results are important if the controlled opening of carbon cages is needed and it should be taken into account also in several technological applications where the permanent encapsulation of atomic or molecular species in these types of fullerene derivatives is required.

Structural and optical properties of highly hydroxylated fullerenes: Stability of molecular domains on the C60 surface

The excitation spectra and the structural properties of highly hydroxylated C(60)(OH)(x) fullerenes (so-called fullerenols) are analyzed by comparing optical absorption experiments on dilute fullerenol-water solutions with semiempirical and density functional theory electronic structure calculations. The optical spectrum of fullerenol molecules with 24-28 OH attached to the carbon surface is characterized by the existence of broad bands with reduced intensities near the ultraviolet region (below approximately 500 nm) together with a complete absence of optical transitions in the visible part of the spectra, contrasting with the intense absorption observed in C(60) solutions. Our theoretical calculations of the absorption spectra, performed within the framework of the semiempirical Zerner intermediate neglect of diatomic differential overlap method [Reviews in Computational Chemistry II, edited by K. B. Lipkowitz and D. B. Boyd (VCH, Weinheim, 1991), Chap. 8, pp. 313-316] for various gas-phase-like C(60)(OH)(26) isomers, reveal that the excitation spectra of fullerenol molecules strongly depend on the degree of surface functionalization, the precise distribution of the OH groups on the carbon structure, and the presence of impurities in the samples. Interestingly, we have surprisingly found that low energy atomic configurations are obtained when the OH groups segregate on the C(60) surface forming molecular domains of different sizes. This patchy behavior for the hydroxyl molecules on the carbon surface leads in general to the formation of fullerene compounds with closed electronic shells, large highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy gaps, and existence of an excitation spectrum that accounts for the main qualitative features observed in the experimental data.

Influences of Structural Properties on Stability of Fullerenols

Influences of structural properties on the stability of fullerenols are studied using experimental techniques including laser-induced dissociation associated with a time-of-flight measurement, synchrotron radiation XPS, and FT-IR spectroscopy. Stabilities of a family of fullerenols (C₆₀(OH)₄₂, C₆₀(OH)₄₄, C₆₀(OH)₃₀, C₆₀(OH)₃₀, C₆₀(OH)₃₂, and C₆₀(OH)₃₆) as functions of structural parameters-the hydroxyl number, intensity of the impure group, and the ratio of the carbonyl to hydroxyl groups-are investigated. It is found that the molecular stability largely depends on the quantity of impure groups, especially the highly oxygenated carbons in fullerenols, but less on the hydroxyl number. This is different from the previous consideration that the stability of fullerenols largely depends on the hydroxyl number. Previously, to gain the larger solubility required by practical applications, it was suggested to increase the number of the hydroxyl groups. This idea needs to be restudied, because in highly hydroxylated fullerenol molecules, the coinstantaneous formation of a large amount of impure groups is observed. The use of C₆₀(OH) _n>36 in practical applications should proceed with caution, since these could lead to unstable open-cage structures. The results reveal a way of controlling the formation of impure groups to gain fullerenols of high stability.