[3]Rotaxane−Porphyrin Conjugate as a Novel Supramolecular Host for Fullerenes

A new supramolecular host with good affinity toward fullerenes has been developed. This host having a tweezer-like shape is built on a [3]rotaxane scaffold and contains two free-base porphyrin moieties as recognition units for fullerenes. The ability of this tweezer to bind fullerenes strongly depends on the solvent system used and the size of fullerene.