UC Davis

The design of covalently linked [60]fullerene dimers has gained increased attention, as the linked electron donors or acceptors are in close proximity to the surface of the C₆₀, providing a valuable approach to novel molecular electronic devices. Herein, new compounds involving C₆₀ dumbbells covalently connected by the π-conjugated system from azobenzene and diaryl ether linkers were synthesized following the bifunctional cycloaddition reactions to C₆₀ using microwave radiation. The structural identity of the fullerene dimers has been determined using spectroscopic techniques including Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF), and NMR spectroscopy, and the photophysical and the electrochemical properties for the new dumbbells have been examined using UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and square wave voltammetry. Both new dimers show electronic interaction with the fullerene cage and higher electron affinity than the pristine C₆₀.