C60-PMO: periodic mesoporous buckyballsilica.
Here we report the first documented synthesis of a periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO), that contains a multiply bonded C60 moiety integrated into the silica channel walls of the material, dubbed C60-PMO. This is accomplished through the acid-catalyzed co-assembly, of C60(NHCH2CH2CH2Si(OEt)3)x and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) with a polyethyleneoxide-polylpropyleneoxide-polyethyleneoxide triblock copolymer template. The percentage of C60 in the final material was estimated to be a minimum of 63 vol %, but potentially as high as 91 vol %. The effects of the synthesis conditions on the mesostructure of the resulting materials are examined. In particular, we demonstrate that the C60 is uniformly distributed throughout the entire sample by the use of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDX) analysis and an OsO4 label bonded to the C60.
Whitnall
Wesley
W
Center for Inorganic and Polymeric Nanomaterials, Materials Chemistry and Nanochemistry Research Group, Chemistry Department, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3H6.
Cademartiri
Ludovico
L
Ozin
Geoffrey A
GA