Abhimanyu O. Patil

Fullerene functionalized polymers

SummaryThe recent synthesis and macroscopic isolation of C60 (buckminsterfullerene) has stimulated interest in its properties and chemical reactivity. Fullerenes are known to be attacked by nucleophiles and it has been reported that they react with small amines. There is, however, no report on the reaction of fullerenes with polymeric amines. Fullerenes were found to add to amine containing flexible hydrocarbon polymers such as ethylene propylene terpolymer (EPDM-amine) to obtain novel C60 functionalized polymers. These materials are soluble in common solvents. The reaction of the fullerene and polymer was followed by infra-red spectroscopy and viscosity measurements.

Fullerene grafted hydrocarbon polymers

We have free radically grafted fullerene onto saturated hydrocarbon polymers such as ethylene-propylene copolymer. The product is soluble in solvents such as hexane or tetrahydrofuran, in which the fullerene is essentially insoluble. The reaction of the fullerene and polymer was followed by i.r. spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. In these graft copolymers, fullerene may provide sites for further derivatization, including derivatization by methods which would fail for the original polymer.

ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING POLYMERS

Most polymers are insulators, with desirable properties such as lightweight, processability, durability, and low cost. By designing the molecular structures of polymers, chemists have developed new materials that exhibit electrical conductivities comparable to metals while retaining the advantages of polymers. There are three approaches to making conducting materials: pyrolysis to produce a conducting residue (mostly carbon); producing a composite structure from a conducting material and an insulating organic polymer; and making organic conjugated polymers This chapter addresses the third approach. Generally, these electrically conducting polymers are composed of conjugated polymer chains with π-electrons delocalized along the backbone. In the neutral (or undoped) form, the polymers are either insulating or semiconducting. The polymers are converted to the electrically conductive, or doped, form via oxidation or reduction reactions that create delocalized charge carriers. Charge balance is accomplished by incorporating an oppositely charged counter ion into the polymer matrix. The main purpose of these investigations was to synthesize and study new materials combining the electrical properties of metals or semiconductors and the mechanical properties of plastics. These conjugated materials also give highly nonlinear optical response, either for second-order or third-order effects. Although it is difficult to evaluate the technogical significance of such a new field, the research has established a foundation of materials and fundamental scientific principles ready to be cleverly applied.