The Effects of co-solvents on the reaction of amino-terminated polystyrene with fullerene

Polymer tethered C-60 fullerenes (PTFs) were synthesized by reacting amine terminated polystyrenes with fullerene under ambient conditions. While toluene was employed as the primary solvent in the synthesis, polar co-solvents were incorporated in various ratios to determine their effect on the reaction yield and nature of the product. The resultant PTFs were analyzed by GPC and UV-Vis spectroscopy to determine the number of adducts. The addition of a polar co-solvent was found to significantly affect the reaction rate, yield, and total number of substitutions on the fullerene. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.