Transparent thin films and monoliths synthesized from fullerene doped mesoporous silica: evidence for embedded monodispersed C60

Thin films and monoliths of mesostructured silica containing embedded monodispersed molecules of C60 may be prepared via a sol–gel route in which the C60 is added during the synthesis or via post-synthesis adsorption; evidence from diffuse reflectance spectroscopy suggests that the embedded C60 exist predominantly in monomeric form.