Synthesis and Optical Properties of Fullerene-Functionalized Polycarbonates

Fullerenation of polycarbonate (PC) is achieved by direct reaction of C 60 with PC using AlCl 3 as catalyst. Stirring a 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane solution of C 60 and PC in the presence of AlCl 3 under nitrogen at 140 °C for 24 h attached C 60 to the PC chains, yielding fullerenated PCs (C 60 −PCs) with a C 60 content up to 2.16 wt %. The C 60 −PCs are soluble in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and chloroform, and IR, UV, and NMR analyses suggest that they possess the molecular structure H x C 60 (PC) x with x < 1 on the average. The C 60 −PCs limit strong 532-nm optical pulses more effectively than the parent C 60 . Light transmission spectra of the C 60 −PC solutions red-shift with increasing concentration, with their cutoff wavelengths predictably tunable by simply changing their concentrations.