Direct Fullerenation of Polycarbonate via Simple Polymer Reactions

Direct fullerenation of polycarbonate (PC), a commercially important optical polymer, is achieved by simply irradiating a solution of PC and C60 at room temperature using a conventional UV lamp or by warming up a C60/PC solution to a moderate temperature (60 °C) in the presence of AIBN, a typical radical initiator. The extent of fullerenation is controllable by varying the C60 feed ratio, and a fullerenated PC with a C60 content as high as 6.3 wt % (or more than two C60 molecules per PC chain) is readily prepared in almost quantitative yield (99.7%). Molecular weights of the fullerenated PCs are higher than that of the parent polymer, suggesting that the fullerenation is realized via multiaddition to C60. The multiaddition, however, has not led to heavy cross-linking, and the fullerenated PCs are soluble in common organic solvents such as THF and chloroform. The fullerenation involves a radical mechanism, and its general applicability to other polymer systems is demonstrated by the ready attachment of C60 to poly(vinyl chloride), another commercially important polymer, by employing the AIBN-initiated fullerenation reaction.