In the last three decades, zero-dimensional, one-dimensional, and two-dimensional carbon nanomaterials (i.e., fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and graphene, respectively) have attracted significant attention from the scientific community due to their unique electronic, optical, thermal, mechanical, and chemical properties. While early work showed that these properties could enable high performance in selected applications, issues surrounding structural inhomogeneity and imprecise assembly have impeded robust and reliable implementation of carbon nanomaterials in widespread technologies. However, with recent advances in synthesis, sorting, and assembly techniques, carbon nanomaterials are experiencing renewed interest as the basis of numerous scalable technologies. Here, we present an extensive review of carbon nanomaterials in electronic, optoelectronic, photovoltaic, and sensing devices with a particular focus on the latest examples based on the highest purity samples. Specific attention is devoted to each class of carbon nanomaterial, thereby allowing comparative analysis of the suitability of fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and graphene for each application area. In this manner, this article will provide guidance to future application developers and also articulate the remaining research challenges confronting this field.

Carbon nanomaterials for electronics, optoelectronics, photovoltaics, and sensing

Polymer solar cells (PSCs) are composed of a blend film of a conjugated polymer donor and a soluble fullerene derivative acceptor sandwiched between a PEDOT : PSS coated ITO positive electrode and a low workfunction metal negative electrode. The conjugated polymer donor and the fullerene derivative acceptor are the key photovoltaic materials for high performance PSCs. For the acceptors, although [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC60BM) and its corresponding C70 derivative PC70BM are dominantly used as the acceptors in PSC at present, several series of new fullerene derivatives with higher-lying LUMO energy level and better solubility were reported in recent years for further improving the power conversion efficiency of the PSCs. In this perspective paper, we reviewed the recent research progress on the new fullerene derivative acceptors, including various PC60BM-like C60 derivatives, PC60BM bisadduct, PC70BM bisadduct, indene-C60 bisadduct and indene-C70 bisadduct, trimetallic nitride endohedral fullerenes and other C60 derivatives with multi side chains. The synthesis and physicochemical properties of PC60BM and PC70BM were also introduced considering the importance of the two fullerene acceptors.

Fullerene derivative acceptors for high performance polymer solar cells

Photosynthesis is used by nature to convert light energy into chemical energy in some living systems. In such a process, a cascade of very efficient, short-range energy and electron transfer events between well-arranged, light-harvesting organic donor and acceptor pigments takes place within the photosynthetic reaction center, leading to the overall generation of chemical energy from sunlight with near quantum efficiency.1-8 During the past decade, a significant effort has been made by the scientific community toward the preparation of synthetic model compounds of natural photosynthetic systems able to convert light into other energy sources,9 probably fostered by the increasing concerns related to the utilization of fossils fuels for the production of electricity in terms of both availability and environmental issues. However, considering the structural complexity presented by the natural photosynthetic systems, much of the scientific effort has been devoted toward the preparation and study of structurally simpler systems, with the aim of reproducing some of the fundamental steps occurring in natural photosynthesis, one of the most important being the photoinduced charge separation (CS).10-12 Among the chromophores that have been used as molecular components in artificial photosynthetic systems, porphyrinoids, the ubiquitous molecular building blocks employed by nature in natural photosynthesis, have been the preferred and obvious choice, due to their intense optical absorption and rich redox chemistry.13-20 Within the large family of porphyrinoid systems, phthalocyanines (Pcs) enjoy a privileged position (Figure 1a). These chromophores, which have a two-dimensional 18-πelectron aromatic system isoelectronic with that of porphyrins (Pors), possess in fact unique physicochemical properties which render these macrocycles valuable building blocks in materials science.21-32 Pcs are thermally and chemically stable compounds which present an intense absorption in the red/near-infrared (IR) region of the solar spectrum with extinction coefficients (as high as 200 000 M-1 cm-1) and fluorescence quantum yields * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: tomas.torres@uam.es (T.T.); dirk.guldi@chemie.uni-erlangen.de (D.M.G.). † Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. ‡ Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg. § IMDEA-Nanociencia. Chem. Rev. 2010, 110, 6768–6816 6768

Covalent and noncovalent phthalocyanine-carbon nanostructure systems: synthesis, photoinduced electron transfer, and application to molecular photovoltaics.

Fullerenes have attracted considerable attention in different fields of science since their discovery in 1985. Investigations of physical, chemical and biological properties of fullerenes have yielded promising information. It is inferred that size, hydrophobicity, three-dimensionality and electronic configurations make them an appealing subject in medicinal chemistry. Their unique carbon cage structure coupled with immense scope for derivatization make them a potential therapeutic agent. The study of biological applications has attracted increasing attention despite the low solubility of carbon spheres in physiological media. The fullerene family, and especially C60, has appealing photo, electrochemical and physical properties, which can be exploited in various medical fields. Fullerene is able to fit inside the hydrophobic cavity of HIV proteases, inhibiting the access of substrates to the catalytic site of enzyme. It can be used as radical scavenger and antioxidant. At the same time, if exposed to light, fullerene can produce singlet oxygen in high quantum yields. This action, together with direct electron transfer from excited state of fullerene and DNA bases, can be used to cleave DNA. In addition, fullerenes have been used as a carrier for gene and drug delivery systems. Also they are used for serum protein profiling as MELDI material for biomarker discovery. In this review we report the aspects of medicinal applications of fullerenes.

Medicinal applications of fullerenes.

Chem. Rev. 2000, 100, 1075−1120 Discrete Fulleride Anions and Fullerenium Cations Christopher A. Reed* and Robert D. Bolskar Department of Chemistry, University of CaliforniasRiverside, Riverside, California 92521-0403 Received June 22, 1999 Contents I. Introduction, Scope, and Nomenclature II. Electrochemistry A. Reductive Voltammetry B. Oxidative Voltammetry III. Synthesis A. Chemical Reduction of Fullerenes to Fullerides i. Metals as Reducing Agents ii. Coordination and Organometallic Compounds as Reducing Agents iii. Organic/Other Reducing Agents B. Electrosynthesis of Fullerides C. Chemical Oxidation of Fullerenes to Fullerenium Cations IV. Electronic (NIR) Spectroscopy A. Introduction B. C 60 n- Fullerides C. C 70 and Higher Fullerenes D. Fullerenium Cations E. Diffuse Interstellar Bands V. Vibrational Spectroscopy A. Infrared Spectroscopy B. Raman Spectroscopy VI. X-ray Crystallography A. Introduction B. [PPN] 2 [C 60 ] and Related C 602- Structures C. C 60 - Structures D. C 603- Structures E. Comparison of Discrete and Extended Structures VII. Magnetic Susceptibility and Spin States VIII. NMR Spectroscopy A. Introduction B. 13 C NMR Data in Solution C. Interpretation of Solution NMR Data D. 13 C NMR Data in the Solid State E. Knight Shift in A 3 C 60 F. 3 He NMR of Endohedral Fullerides G. 13 C NMR of Derivatized Fullerenes H. 13 C NMR of Fullerenium Cations IX. EPR Spectroscopy A. Introduction B. Features of the C 60 - Spectrum i. The Low g Value ii. Temperature Dependence of the Line Width (∆H pp ) X. XI. XII. XIII. iii. Anisotropy iv. Problem of the Sharp Signals v. Origins of Sharp Signals vi. The C 120 O Impurity Postulate vii. The Dimer Postulate C. Features of the C 602- EPR Spectrum D. Features of the C 603- EPR Spectrum E. Features of C 604- and C 605- EPR Spectra F. EPR Spectra of Higher Fullerides G. EPR Spectra of Fullerenium Cations Chemical Reactivity A. Introduction B. Fulleride Basicity C. Fulleride Nucleophilicity/Electron Transfer D. Fullerides as Intermediates E. Fullerides as Catalysts F. Fullerides as Ligands G. Fullerenium Cations Conclusions and Future Directions Acknowledgments References I. Introduction, Scope, and Nomenclature The electron-accepting ability of C 60 , the archetypal fullerene, is its most characteristic chemical property. It is a natural consequence of electronic structure and was anticipated in early molecular orbital calcula- tions 1 which place a low-lying unoccupied t 1u level about 2 eV above the h u HOMO: 2-4 Early in the gas-phase investigations of fullerenes, the electron affinity of C 60 was measured and found to be high (2.69 eV). 5-7 When the macroscopic era of C 60 chemistry began in 1990, this property was soon found to translate into the solution phase. 8 In a rather remarkable cyclic voltammogram (see Figure 1), the reversible stepwise addition of up to six electrons was soon demonstrated electrochemically. 9,10 10.1021/cr980017o CCC: $35.00 © 2000 American Chemical Society Published on Web 02/16/2000

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Discrete fulleride anions and fullerenium cations.

The idea1 that fullerenes might be able to encapsulate atoms and molecules has been verified by the successful synthesis of a range of endohedral fullerenes, in which metallic or non-metallic species are trapped inside the carbon cage2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13. Metal-containing endohedral fullerenes have attracted particular interest as they might exhibit unusual material properties associated with charge transfer from the metal to the carbon shell. However, current synthesis methods have typical yields of less than 0.5%, and produce multiple endohedral fullerene isomers, which makes it difficult to perform detailed studies of their properties. Here we show that the introduction of small amounts of nitrogen into an electric-arc reactor allows for the efficient production of a new family of stable endohedral fullerenes encapsulating trimetallic nitride clusters, ErxSc3-xN@C80 (x = 0–3). This ‘trimetallic nitride template’ process generates milligram quantities of product containing 3–5% Sc3N@C80, which allows us to isolate the material and determine its crystal structure, and its optical and electronic properties. We find that the Sc3N moiety is encapsulated in a highly symmetric, icosahedral C80 cage, which is stabilized as a result of charge transfer between the nitride cluster and the fullerene cage. We expect that our method will provide access to a range of small-bandgap fullerene materials, whose electronic properties can be tuned by encapsulating nitride clusters containing different metals and metal mixtures.

Small-bandgap endohedral metallofullerenes in high yield and purity

Nature 401, 55–57; 1999 In the second paragraph on page 55, the third sentence is misleading and should read “The yields even exceed those of the empty-cage C84” (without the erroneously inserted text “…the usually most abundant species…”).

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M. R. Jordan

Papers

Small-bandgap endohedral metallofullerenes in high yield and purity

Erratum: Small-bandgap endohedral metallofullerenes in high yield and purity