Structural analogies and differences between graphite oxide and C60 and C70 polymeric oxides (fullerene ozopolymers)

A brief survey of the chemical structural analogies and differences between graphite oxide and fullerene ozopolymers or polymeric fullerene oxides (PFO) is presented. Graphite oxide is the product of oxidation of graphite prepared with strong oxidizing agents while PFO is the products formed by prolonged ozonation Of C-60 or C-70 in solution. Notwithstanding the different starting substrates and oxidation conditions, elemental analyses, FT-IR spectroscopy and C-13-NMR spectroscopy suggest a very similar chemical structure for graphite oxide and PFO. A further analogy is the possibility to perform reduction or oxidation reactions on both substrates considered. Graphite oxide and PFO have also in common the ability to act as ion exchangers and as metal ion binders. Even the thermal behavior is comparable. However, X-ray powder diffraction has confirmed that graphite oxide still has a layered structure derived from graphite but with the graphene sheets at much bigger distance from each other due to the intercalation of oxidized groups and solvent molecules, while PFO do not show at all any sign of layered structure either from the X-ray spectra and also by its behavior in solution which is strikingly different from that shown by graphite oxide.