Fullerodendrimers: fullerene-containing macromolecules with intriguing properties.

Fullerenes possess electronic and photophysical properties which make them natural candidates for the preparation of functional dendrimers. The attachment of a controlled number of dendrons on a C(60) core provides a compact insulating layer around the carbon sphere, and the triplet lifetimes of the C(60) chromophore can be used to evaluate its degree of isolation from external contacts. The fullerene core can also act as a terminal energy receptor in dendrimer-based light-harvesting systems. When a fullerodendrimer is further functionalized with a suitable electron donor, it may exhibit the essential features of a multicomponent artificial photosynthetic system in which photo-induced energy transfer from the antenna to the C(60) core is followed by electron transfer. On the other hand, the preparation of dendrons with peripheral C(60) subunits or containing a C(60) sphere at each branching unit has been achieved. These fullerodendrons are not only interesting building blocks for the synthesis of monodisperse fullerene-rich macromolecules with intriguing properties, but they are also amphiphilic compounds capable of forming stable Langmuir films at the air-water interface.