Synthesis and Optical Properties of Fullerene-Functionalized Polycarbonates

Fullerenation of polycarbonate (PC) is achieved by direct reaction of C60 with PC using AlCl3 as catalyst. Stirring a 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane solution of C60 and PC in the presence of AlCl3 under nitrogen at 140 °C for 24 h attached C60 to the PC chains, yielding fullerenated PCs (C60−PCs) with a C60 content up to 2.16 wt %. The C60−PCs are soluble in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and chloroform, and IR, UV, and NMR analyses suggest that they possess the molecular structure H x C60(PC) x with x < 1 on the average. The C60−PCs limit strong 532-nm optical pulses more effectively than the parent C60. Light transmission spectra of the C60−PC solutions red-shift with increasing concentration, with their cutoff wavelengths predictably tunable by simply changing their concentrations.