Study of the electrochemical and optical properties of fullerene and methano[60]fullerenediphosphonate derivatives in solution and as self-assembled structures

Four methanofullerenes with phosphonate groups attached to a C60 core were synthesized to probe their electrochemical and optical properties both in solution and as self-assembled monolayer structures (SAMs). As the methano[60]fullerenediphosphonate is a water soluble derivative of the fullerene it has high potential as an imaging molecule in biological applications and in optoelectronics. For the processing of fullerene based SAMs different electrode substrates (ITO, Au and Si) with specific anchoring groups (zirconium, cysteamine and amino-silane) were used. The formation of the C60-SAMs to the surfaces were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), infrared spectroscopy, contact ang…