A novel polymer-grafted C60 fullerene having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic chains

A novel polymer-grafted C60 fullerene having both hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and hydrophobic polystyrene (polySt) chains, was successfully synthesized by postpolymerization of St initiated by PEO-grafted C60 fullerene, bis-adduct C60-(PEO)2, having peroxyester (POE) groups. C60-(PEO)2 was prepared by the reaction of C60 fullerene with PEO-azopolymer. The introduction of POE groups onto C60-(PEO)2 was achieved by trapping of POE radicals formed by the thermal decomposition of 1,1-bis(t-butyldioxy)cyclohexane (BDOC). The structure of C60-(PEO)2(POE) was confirmed by FT-IR, UV–vis, and DSC. The postgraft radical polymerization of St was successfully initiated by the POE groups of C60-(PEO)2(POE) to give polySt-grafted C60-(PEO)2. The structure of polySt-grafted C60-(PEO)2 was identified by FT-IR, SEC, and thermal decomposition gas chromatograms and mass spectra (GC–MS). The polySt-grafted C60-(PEO)2 was soluble in good solvents for polySt and PEO, but insoluble in n-hexane which is poor solvent for polySt and PEO, and partially soluble in water which is good solvent for PEO but poor solvent for polySt. The compatibility of polySt-grafted C60-(PEO)2 in polySt matrix was remarkably improved in comparison with that of C60-(PEO)2. In addition, thermal stability of polySt-grafted C60-(PEO)2 increased in comparison with that of polySt and PEO.