Palm tree- and dumbbell-like polymer architectures based on C60

By reacting 6 PSLi per C-60 molecule, fairly pure star-shaped polymers with six branches and six carbanions located on the fullerene core are obtained. Only one of these six carbanions is able to initiate the anionic polymerization of styrene or isoprene leading to well;defined palm tree-like architectures (PSa)(6)C60PSb or (PS)(6)C60PI. At its end, the out-growing chain bears a carbanion that has been allowed to react with the coupling agents dibromo-p-xylene and dibromohexane to produce the dumbbell-like structures, (PSa)(6)C60PSb-pX-PSbC60(PSa)(6) and (PS)(6)C60PI-Hex-PIC60(PS)(6). If C-60 itself is allowed to react with the "living" palm tree, a third fullerene molecule is introduced in the center of the macromolecular architecture.