Synthesis of starburst oligoanilino[60]fullerene and poly(dimethylsiloxane) triblock copolymers

A new synthetic approach for the fabrication of core-shell like conducting elastomers was described. The approach utilized the facile intermolecular self-assembly of poly(dimethylsifoxane) (PDMS) in DMSO leading to formation of a core particle, while soluble oligoaniline (A(x)) segments dispersed in the solution phase resembling a shell overlayer for building the morphology. This morphology was demonstrated by bis[penta(tetraanilinofullereno)] bis(aminopropyl)poly(dimethylsiloxane) [PDMS(F5A(4))(2)] triblock co-oligomers synthesized using a functionalized C-60 derivative as a linker. Observation of H-1 NMR spectroscopic responses on the PDMS particle formation in DMSO-d(6) is consistent with the proposed core-shell geometry with oligoaniline moieties located at the shell overlayer.