Supramolecular chemistry for the self-assembly of fullerene-rich dendrimers

Abstract

Owing to their peculiar electronic properties, fullerene derivatives are attractive building blocks for dendrimer chemistry. Whereas the main part of the fullerene-containing dendrimers reported so far have been prepared with a C₆₀ core, dendritic structures with fullerene units at their surface or with C₆₀ spheres in the dendritic branches have been barely considered. This is mainly associated with the difficulties related to the synthesis of fullerene-rich molecules. As a part of this research, the self-assembly of fullerene-containing components using supramolecular interactions rather than covalent chemistry has recently generated significant research efforts. These results are summarized in the present account to illustrate the current state-of-the-art of fullerene chemistry for the development of new dendritic materials.