Experimental investigation of C60/NMP/toluene solutions by UV-Vis spectroscopy and small-angle neutron scattering

The transformation of the C₆₀ fullerene cluster state into C₆₀/N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) solution after the addition of a nonpolar solvent (toluene, electric permittivity ?= 2.4) is studied. The results of ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and small-angle neutron scattering measurements are used for comparison of the C₆₀/NMP/toluene system with C₆₀/NMP mixtures with a high-polar solvent (water, ? = 80). As to the observed reorganization of the cluster state, the C₆₀/NMP/toluene system is similar to the C₆₀/NMP/water system. This effect is explained by the formation of charge-transfer complexes in the initial C₆₀/NMP solution. These complexes are thought to be soluble in both binary mixtures. The connection between the cluster-reorganization effect and solvatochromism is discussed.     

Reorganization of the cluster state in a C60/N-Methylpyrrolidone/water solution: Comparative characteristics of dynamic light scattering and small-angle neutron scattering data

Data on dynamic light scattering from cluster solutions of C₆₀ fullerenes in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) and its mixture with water are analyzed. Initial C₆₀/NMP solutions kept for two weeks (i.e., fresher than those analyzed previously) are considered, where the effect of cluster-state reorganization after adding water is recorded more reliably. Based on the size-distribution functions of the clusters, obtained from dynamic light scattering data, model curves of small-angle neutron scattering are calculated and compared with the experimental data.     

Nonmonotonic behavior of the concentration in the kinetics of dissolution of fullerenes

A cluster model for the dissolution of C₆₀ fullerenes in a nonpolar solvent has been proposed. This model provides the explanation of a maximum experimentally observed in the time dependence of the solution concentration during dissolution. The model is based on the kinetic equations of nucleation theory and involves a balance between the flux of fullerene molecules from the solid phase and the sedimentation of large clusters from the solution. The formation of clusters is described using the drop model. Analysis of the numerical solutions of the equations reveals four qualitatively different dissolution regimes depending on the relation between the model parameters.     

Formation of fullerene clusters in carbon disulfide: Data on small-angle neutron scattering and molecular dynamics

Fullerene solutions in carbon disulfide are studied by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). In addition to earlier experiments on the given system, the range of measured transmitted impulses is extended and the influence of solution preparation methods on C₆₀ cluster formation in these solutions is studied. It is shown that the formation of large C₆₀ clusters (with a size of about 10 nm) is due to nonequilibrium methods of solution preparation. For nonequilibrium dissolution, there is a 10% excess of the observed fullerene size in the solution over the calculated value. It has been established by simulation of the C₆₀/CS₂ interface by molecular dymanics methods that inclusion of how solvent molecules are organized on the C₆₀ surface leads to a decrease in the fullerene size in the solution, observed by using SANS. In this paper, the effect of excess R _g is explained by the presence of small clusters in the solution (approximately 10% of dissolved C₆₀ molecules). It is discovered that there is a time variation in the concentration of the saturated solution. The explanation of this effect using a model of formation and sedimentation of large clusters (with a size of 100 nm or more) is proposed.     

Fullerene C60 formation in partially ionized carbon vapor

The assembling rate of a fullerene C₆₀ molecule has been theoretically studied as a function of electron concentration and temperature in partially ionized carbon vapor. For C⁶⁰ formation via one or two intermediate stages of cluster collisions, it has been shown that there is a region of plasma parameters (the temperature and electron concentration) in which fullerene C₆₀ is formed more efficiently. The C₆₀ formation rate versus temperature and electron concentration relationships have been found to correlate with the trends in the collision cross-section of carbon clusters as functions of these parameters.     

On the Supermolecular Structure of Fullerene C60 Solutions

Small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) and wide angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS) techniques were used for investigation of fullerene C₆₀ solutions in toluene and p‐xylene. On all SAXS curves, intensity decreases to some constant value of I_C with increase of scattering angle. The value of I_C depends on concentration non‐monotonically: it first slightly increases, then drops sharply to some minimal value, and then increases again. A qualitative explanation of such dependence is offered. It is supposed that the presence of fullerene C₆₀ in solution suppresses thermal fluctuations of density in the solvent. In combination with the X‐ray data the results obtained for solutions of fullerene C₆₀ by various others techniques (calorimetry, densimetry, etc.) are discussed. Possible models of a supermolecular structure of fullerene C₆₀ solutions in good solvents are considered.     

Processing of C<Subscript>60</Subscript> thin films by Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE)

Thin films of fullerenes (C₆₀) were deposited onto silicon using matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE). The deposition was carried out from a frozen homogeneous dilute solution of C₆₀ in anisole (0.67 wt%), and over a broad range of laser fluences, from 0.15 J/cm² up to 3.9 J/cm². MAPLE has been applied for deposition of fullerenes for the first time and we have studied the growth of thin films of solid C₆₀. The fragmentation of C₆₀ fullerene molecules induced by ns ablation in vacuum of a frozen anisole target with C₆₀ was investigated by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI). Our findings show that intact fullerene films can be produced with laser fluences ranging from 0.15 J/cm² up to 1.5 J/cm².     

Determination of C60/C70 ratios in fullerene mixtures and film characterization by scanning tunneling microscopy

Fullerene powder mixtures with different C₆₀/C₇₀ ratios have been analyzed by a variety of techniques, and results have been compared. The fullerence mixtures have been characterized as solutions in n-hexane by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and UV-VIS spectroscopy. Thin films of fullerenes on Au(111) have been prepared from the mixtures by sublimation. The sublimation process has been studied by simultaneous thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses. Thin fullerene films on Au(111) have been investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The STM images show primarily two types of ballshaped molecules arranged in a lattice with hexagonal symmetry (fcc(111) face, nearest neighbour distance: 1 nm). The two species differ in diameter. STM images of films made of mixtures of different C₆₀/C₇₀ ratios show that C₇₀ molecules display a larger apparent diameter (0.8 nm) and corrugation than C₆₀ molecules (0.7 nm). The C₆₀/C₇₀ ratios obtained by counting the corresponding molecular species in the STM images of the thin films are compared to the C₆₀/C₇₀ ratios determined by HPLC on hexane solutions of the mixtures. The observed differences might be explained by different rates of sublimation for the two species. The STM images reveal film defects (vacancies and boundaries) and dynamic processes (displacement of C₇₀ molecules and vacancies). In films prepared to have a C₆₀ coverage of less than one monolayer, stable structural units of the C₆₀(111) surface consisting of three or seven C₆₀ molecules are revealed by STM. Occasionally, substructure within individual fullerene molecules is observed.     

Rheological Behavior of Poly(vinylpyrrolidone)/Fullerene C60 Complexes in Aqueous Medium

Aqueous solutions of complexes formed between poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), as a matrix polymer, and fullerene C₆₀ were investigated. The effect of the external hydrodynamic field on the supermolecular assemblies formed by the complexes was analyzed. Despite the low content in the complexes (1.5 mass%), fullerene significantly modified the viscosity of aqueous PVP. Thus, the dynamic viscosity of the PVP/C₆₀ complexes grew faster than that of the pure PVP upon increasing the PVP/C₆₀ concentration. The difference in viscosities is especially pronounced for semidilute solutions. As a possible explanation, it is assumed that fullerenes act as crosslinks, in addition to the physical entanglements of the PVP macromolecules, which appear in the vicinity of the crossover concentration. Shear flow corresponding to the high shear rates destroyed fullerene‐induced intermolecular crosslinks in PVP/C₆₀ solutions.     

Polymerization of solid C<Subscript>60</Subscript> under C<Stack><Subscript>60</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript></Stack> cluster ion bombardment

The structure transformation occurring in fullerene film under bombardment by 50 keV C₆₀⁺ cluster ions is reported. The Raman spectra of the irradiated C₆₀ films reveal a new peak rising at 1458 cm⁻¹ with an increase in the ion fluence. This feature of the Raman spectra suggests linear polymerization of solid C₆₀ induced by the cluster ion impacts. The aligned C₆₀ polymeric chains composing about 5–10 fullerene molecules have been distinguished on the film surface after the high-fluence irradiation using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The surface profiling analysis of the irradiated films has revealed pronounced sputtering during the treatment. The obtained results indicate that the C₆₀ polymerization occurs in a deep layer situated more than 40 nm below the film surface. The deep location of the C₆₀ polymeric phase indirectly confirms the dominant role of shock waves in the detected C₆₀ phase transformation.     

Phase transition in C60-2-thioxo-l, 3dithiole cycloadduct

Quadratic electrooptic coefficient (QEOC) measurements have been made for fullerene C₆₀) and its derivative C₆₀-2-thioxo-l,3-dithiole. An anomaly in C_p has been revealed at about — 60°C that corresponds to the appearance of a structural phase transition. Correlation with a temperature anomaly in the QEOC is revealed. This leads to the conclusion that the QEOC for fullerene depends mainly on vibrational and rotational contributions. The contribution arising from charge distribution asymmetry is most important in the fullerene derivative. The observed temperature anomalies of the QEOC result in the possibility of using the QEOC as a sensitive tool for observing low-temperature phase transitions in the fullerene derivatives.     

XPS and XAES study of the interaction of palladium and copper overlayers with fullerene films

X-ray photoelectron and Auger spectroscopies were used to examine surface bonding and overlayer growth during palladium and copper deposition onto films of fullerene, C₆₀ The results were consistent with metal cluster formation on C₆₀. The observed positive core electron binding energy shifts in small metallic clusters supported on C₆₀ were shown to originate in metal-fullerene interaction accompanied by charge transfer. Palladium-fullerene intermixing at temperatures as low as ss 50°C was observed for small Pd coverages.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of the low-energy interaction between Cu<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis></Subscript>@C<Subscript>60</Subscript> endofullerenes and the surface of a copper crystal

A molecular dynamics simulation of the low-energy interaction of C₆₀ fullerenes and Cu₁@C₆₀, Cu₆@C₆₀, and Cu₁₃@C₆₀ endofullerenes with a Cu(100) surface was performed. The effects of a copper cluster encapsulated in a fullerene and of a fullerene’s translational motion and rotation energy on its penetration into a surface were investigated. It was shown that the presence of an encapsulated cluster has a positive effect on fullerene penetration into a surface with preservation of the fullerene’s structure. The optimal conditions for fullerene penetration into a copper crystal surface were determined.     

Dipole polarizability,structure, and stability of [2+2]-linked fullerene nanostructures (C60)n (n≤7)

In the present work, structural features, dipole polarizability, and stability of two most promising oligomeric series (C₆₀)_n with zigzag and linear arrangement of the fullerene cages have been studied by the PBE/3ζ density functional theory method. Their mean polarizabilities and polarizability exaltations are linearly correlated with the molecular size (maximal intercage distance). Linear (C₆₀)_n have higher polarizability than zigzag oligomers with the same n. Based on the example of hexamers (C₆₀)₆, we have shown that connectivity (number of connections) has no effect on the resulting polarizability but maximal remoteness does, i.e. the geometric factor is more decisive for mean polarizability of such fullerene nanostructures. Stability of (C₆₀)_n decreases with growing molecular size for linear structures and slowly increases in the case of zigzag (C₆₀)_n. The found dependences of polarizability and stability on the molecular size may be used for assessing these parameters of larger fullerene nanostructures, hardly computable with quantum chemical methods.     

Effect of heating of the electronic subsystem on the thermal stability of the C<Subscript>60</Subscript> and C<Subscript>20</Subscript> fullerenes and (C<Subscript>20</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript> cluster molecule

The effect of heating of the electronic subsystem on the thermal stability of C₆₀ and C₂₀ fullerenes and a (C₂₀)₂ cluster molecule is investigated theoretically. It is demonstrated that the excitation of electrons to upper energy levels in accordance with the Fermi-Dirac distribution function does not lead to a substantial change in the activation energy E _a for decay of the C₂₀ fullerene. The stability of the C₆₀ fullerene and the (C₂₀)₂ cluster molecule likewise does not change radically. However, the inclusion of corrections associated with the finite sizes of the heat bath leads to the activation energy E _a which is in better agreement with the calculated height of the potential barrier preventing the cluster decay.     

Collision dynamics of He@C<Subscript>60</Subscript>+He@C<Subscript>60</Subscript> at low energies

A semi-empirical molecular dynamics model is developed. The central collisions of C₆₀+C₆₀ and He@C₆₀+He@C₆₀ at different incident energies are investigated based on this model. It is found that the dimer structures have been produced at proper incident energies and these fullerene dimers could be formed by a self-assembly of C₆₀ fullerene and He@C₆₀. The He atom has a significant effect at higher incident energy and this embedded He atom can enhance the stability of the dimer structure.     

Step-Wise Concentration Influence of Fullerenes C60 and C70 on the Various Parameters of Condensed Systems

A step-wise changing concept is developed of the influence of fullerenes C₆₀and C₇₀ on various properties of condensed systems, liquid, and solid. In this, Part I is considered the step-wise character for three parameters: (1) the density of solutions; (2) the boiling points of solutions, and (3) the coefficient of the surface tension of solutions. The sharp drop of the density of solutions at very small fullerene concentrations is pointed out and considered. A step change in the coefficients of the surface tension of fullerene solutions with concentration were determined and are discussed. In Part II, to follow, the influence of fullerene concentrations on the freezing and melting of solutions will be considered.     

Intercalation of C60 fullerene crystals with alkali and alkaline-earth metals through self-propagating high-temperature synthesis

A method for rapidly intercalating C₆₀ fullerene crystals has been implemented using self-propagating high-temperature synthesis. The method has been used to intercalate C₆₀ fullerene crystals with alkali (K, Rb) and alkaline-earth (Ca, Ba) metals. The superconducting transition temperatures of the prepared compounds have been measured. The C₆₀ fullerene crystals intercalated with calcium have been investigated using X-ray diffraction.     

Photoinduced quenching of the luminescence of singlet oxygen in fullerene solutions

The photoinduced quenching of the luminescence of singlet oxygen in solutions of C₆₀ and C₇₀ fullerenes in CCl₄ is studied. It is shown that intense pumping of the solutions by ultraviolet and visible radiation leads to formation of relatively long-lived fullerene-oxygen complexes, which are effective quenchers of the ¹Δ_g excited state of singlet oxygen. The behavior of these complexes depending on the experimental conditions (pumping intensity, concentration of fullerenes in the solution, and temperature) is studied. Decomposition of complexes with time is investigated. It is shown that, upon formation and gradual degradation of these complexes, the absorption spectra of the solutions change with time. The C₆₀ fullerene is shown to be more stable to the intense pumping, its concentration being completely restored with the decomposition of the complexes. At the same time, C₇₀ fullerene is partly irreversibly lost and the solution does not reach its initial concentration after decomposition of complexes.