Click polymerization: A convenient strategy to prepare designer fullerene materials

Click polymeric assemblies of fullerenes, thiophenes and aryl compounds were prepared for the first time to study their spectroscopic/chemical/electronic characteristics and possible applications in photovoltaic cells. The GPC and NMR spectroscopic data confirmed a moderate to high degree of polymerization while microscopic pictures showed well-defined arrangements of fullerenes. The FTIR studies indicated that the product is free from starting azide materials, whereas thermogravimetric analysis data suggested a good stability. Band gap of the material was determined using UV-Vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetric techniques and compared with computational investigation. The fullerene copolymer was fabricated as acceptor material in a bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cell. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.