Manipulation of fullerene superstructures by complexing with polycyclic aromatic compounds

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic compounds (naphthalene, anthracene and pyrene) have been intercalated into the superstructures of fullerene nanowhiskers, using a facile liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation (LLIP) method. Due to the interaction between polycyclic molecules and fullerene, the growth of fullerene crystals was interfered in comparison to the fullerene crystal growth without the polycyclic molecules, resulting in the formation of fullerene superstructures with various nanofeatures. Moreover, the fluorescence emissions of the fullerene superstructures were significantly changed due to the intercalation of the polycyclic molecules, implying the influence of molecular packing on the electron transfer within the nanostructures. These results may bring new insights on the control of fullerene nanostructures and to manipulate their optical properties in optoelectronic devices.

Tailoring co-doping of cobalt and nitrogen in a fullerene-based carbon composite and its effect on the supercapacitive performance

“…As the driving force of the fullerene assembly is mainly based on - interaction, other molecules may easily intercalate into the C 60 s superstructures from the co-assembly. 8 In the system with CoTMPP, a metalloporphyrin molecule, as its metal ion center could coordinate with carbon atom in fullerene, 24,25 it thus may further promote the insertion into C 60 superstructures.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] Due to the unique properties and the tunable architectures at molecular levels, these fullerene-based carbons have attracted great attention in applications of solar cells, energy storage and conversion. [7][8][9] However, when used as electrode materials for supercapacitors, the specific capacitance of the fullerene-based carbon was still relatively low. Therefore, exploring active fullerene-based supercapacitor with improved performance is still expected.…”

Materials nanoarchitectonics at two-dimensional liquid interfaces

“…Ji, Shrestha, and co-workers investigated the effects of the intercalation of polycyclic aromatic compounds, such as naphthalene, anthracene, and pyrene, on the formation of one-dimensional C 60 nanowhiskers in liquid–liquid interfacial precipitation processes [245]. The intercalation of polycyclic aromatic compounds generally modifies the growth of fullerene one-dimensional crystals depending on intercalation species.…”

Fullerene superlattices containing charge transfer complexes for an improved nonlinear optical performance

“…Tang et al prepared C 60 -based co-crystals with polycyclic aromatic molecules including naphthalene, anthracene and pyrene, which showed an enhanced fluorescence emission due to the π–π interactions between C 60 and the guest molecules. 29 Hu et al prepared a corannulene-C 60 nanowire which has high electron transportation and a good response to light. 30 The effect can also be ascribed to the π–π interactions, which are even stronger considering the larger and curved π-conjugated structure of corannulene.…”