Fullerene end-capped biodegradable poly(ε-caprolactone)

Fullerene capped poly(epsilon-caprolactone)s (PCLs), namely single- and double-fullerene end-capped PCLs with different fullerene content, were successfully synthesized. The effect of the fullerene end on the crystallization behavior and mechanical properties of the PCL was studied. The aggregation behavior of the fullerene moieties at the end of the PCL chain was also studied. It was found that the aggregated fullerenes have two kinds of effect on the crystallization behavior of the PCL i.e., confinement effect and nucleating effect. The fullerene content shows certain balance between the confinement effect and the nucleating effect on the crystallization rate of PCL. It was also found that the mechanical properties of the fullerene end-capped PCLs are strongly related to the content of fullerene and the mode of end-capping style: either single or double end-capping.