C60-PMO: Periodic Mesoporous Buckyballsilica

J. Am. Chem. Soc., 129 (50), 15644 -15649, 2007. 10.1021/ja075729n S0002-7863(07)05729-0
Web Release Date: November 20, 2007

C₆₀-PMO: Periodic Mesoporous Buckyballsilica

Wesley Whitnall, Ludovico Cademartiri, and Geoffrey A. Ozin*

Contribution from the Center for Inorganic and Polymeric Nanomaterials, Materials Chemistry and Nanochemistry Research Group, Chemistry Department, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3H6

gozin@chem.utoronto.ca

Received July 31, 2007

Abstract:

Here we report the first documented synthesis of a periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO), that contains a multiply bonded C₆₀ moiety integrated into the silica channel walls of the material, dubbed C₆₀-PMO. This is accomplished through the acid-catalyzed co-assembly, of C₆₀(NHCH₂CH₂CH₂Si(OEt)₃)_x and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) with a polyethyleneoxide-polylpropyleneoxide-polyethyleneoxide triblock copolymer template. The percentage of C₆₀ in the final material was estimated to be a minimum of 63 vol %, but potentially as high as 91 vol %. The effects of the synthesis conditions on the mesostructure of the resulting materials are examined. In particular, we demonstrate that the C₆₀ is uniformly distributed throughout the entire sample by the use of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDX) analysis and an OsO₄ label bonded to the C₆₀.

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