EPR studies of the excited triplet states of C60O and C60C2H4N(CH3) fullerene derivatives and C70 in toluene and polymethylmethacrylate glasses and as films Original Research Article

The EPR spectra of excited triplet states of two fullerene derivatives, C60O and C60C2H4N(CH3), in the glassy matrices of toluene and of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and as films were examined at low temperature and the magnetic parameters were measured. In films, species with zfs parameters smaller than those in toluene were found and they were assigned to triplet excitations visiting more than one molecule in the crystallites that form the film. When C60C2H4N(CH3) was excited in PMMA grown by in sity thermal polymerization a new triplet species was originated characterized by a dipolar splitting constant D about three times larger than that measured in toluene. Evidence was gained that such species participates to cross-linking in the polymer. The effect of PMMA matrix on the molecular dynamics of 3C70 was also investigated. It was found that a dynamical model holds based on the pseudorotation of the molecule around the axis of larger dipolar splitting. Motion is activated with activation energy of 210 ± 50 cm−1 a value comparable with that obtained for pseudorotation of 3C70 in cyclohexane.