Transport properties of cross-linked fullerenol–PVA membranes

Polyhydroxy fullerenes such as fullerenol C60(OH)22–24 have helped to bridge the gap between fullerenes and their innate solubility issues, where fullerenol solubility in water is 50mg/ml whereas C60 solubility is 1.3×10−11mg/ml. The improved solubility of these fullerene derivatives allows them to be better integrated into composite materials. Here we investigated the transport properties of cross-linked fullerenol–polyvinyl alcohol membranes with the addition of maleic acid for increased stability. High humidity causes the mechanical properties of polyvinyl alcohol to decrease. Using fullerenol as a cross-linker, we were able to decrease the sorption of water with these PVA membranes.