Fullerenes, spherical molecules made entirely of carbon atoms, have new chemical properties that have been discovered by Japanese researchers at Kyoto University. By forming flat fragments of the molecules, they were able to accomplish this, which surprisingly preserved and even enhanced important chemical properties. The team’s findings were published in Nature Communications.
“Our work could prompt new doors to open in many applications, like semiconductors, photoelectric change gadgets, batteries, and impetuses,” says bunch pioneer Aiko Fukazawa at the Organization for Coordinated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS).
The molecule Buckminsterfullerene, also known as the “buckyball,” has 60 carbon atoms joined together to form a spherical shape. Its distinctive structure has consistently piqued the interest of scientists, and its name comes from its structural resemblance to the geodesic domes designed by Buckminster Fuller. The term “fullerene” comes from Fuller’s surname and refers to the buckminsterfullerene and other related spherical carbon clusters that have varying numbers of carbon atoms.
“This surprising discovery emphasizes the critical importance of the pentagonal substructure in generating stable multi-electron accepting systems,”
Aiko Fukazawa at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS).
Their capacity to accept electrons—a reduction process—is one of their most intriguing characteristics. Fullerenes and their derivatives have been extensively studied as electron-transporting materials in organic thin-film transistors and organic photovoltaics due to their electron-accepting properties. Despite this, the robustness with which fullerenes accept multiple electrons distinguishes them from other conventional organic electron-accepting materials.
The ability of fullerene to accept electrons has been suggested to theoretical chemists as having three possible causes: the entire molecule’s high symmetry, the pyramid-shaped bonds between its carbon atoms, and the pentagonal substructures that are distributed across six-membered rings.
The pentagonal rings’ influence was the primary focus of the Kyoto team. They created flattened fullerene fragments and synthesized them. Experiments showed that these molecules could take in as many electrons as the number of five-membered rings in their structure without breaking down.
According to Fukazawa, “this surprising discovery highlights the crucial importance of the pentagonal substructure for the generation of stable multi-electron accepting systems.”
In addition, experiments revealed that the fragments have a greater capacity to absorb ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light than fullerene itself. The development of light sensors and solar-powered systems, for example, as well as the use of light to start chemical reactions, could all become possible as a result of this.
The team will now investigate how their flat fullerene fragments can be used in a wide range of electron-transfer process applications. A carbon-based framework does not typically require the addition of additional electron-withdrawing atoms or functional groups because of its unusually high electron-accepting ability. However, further investigation of the effects of including additional atoms or chemical groups may result in enhanced chemical property control and versatility.
Fukazawa states, “By taking advantage of their high degree of freedom for exploring the effects of structural modifications, we hope to pioneer the science and technology of what we call super-electron-accepting hydrocarbons.”
More information: Masahiro Hayakawa et al, Flattened 1D fragments of fullerene C60 that exhibit robustness toward multi-electron reduction, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38300-3
