Structure and photophysics in C60-micellar solutions

Routes to the preparation of monomeric and colloidal C60 in micellar solutions of non-ionic surfactants are described. UV-visible spectra and small-angle neutron scattering provide clear evidence for these two different forms. The micelles serve to stabilise the excited triplet state 3C60 and the lifetime τT is increased by a factor of 3 as compared to 3C60 in toluene. Furthermore, with monomeric dispersions in the presence of the electron donor DABCO, the radical anion C60− is formed, with an unusually long lifetime τA = 16 ms. This lifetime is approximately 270 times longer than for γ-cyclodextrin. stabilised systems.