Synthesis and optical properties of fullerene-functionalized polycarbonates

Fullerenation of polycarbonate (PC) is achieved by direct reaction of C-60 with PC using AlCl3 as catalyst. Stirring a 1, 1, 2, 2-tetrachloroethane solution of C-60 and PC in the presence of AlCl3 under nitrogen at 140 degrees 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 HxC60(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.