Premium
Fullerenols Revisited: Highly Monodispersed Photoluminescent Nanomaterials as Ideal Building Blocks for Supramolecular Chemistry
Author(s) -
Zhou Shengju,
Zhang Linwen,
Feng Yongqiang,
Li Hongguang,
Chen Mengjun,
Pan Wei,
Hao Jingcheng
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201803612
Subject(s) - photoluminescence , supramolecular chemistry , nanomaterials , quantum yield , fluorescence , nanotechnology , molecule , self assembly , materials science , ionic liquid , cationic polymerization , intramolecular force , micelle , ionic bonding , nanoparticle , chemical engineering , chemistry , ion , organic chemistry , polymer chemistry , aqueous solution , optoelectronics , catalysis , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
Fullerenols have been known for decades; however, the photoluminescent (PL) properties and applications in supramolecular chemistry of these molecules have not been well addressed. Herein, a strategy has been developed to purify the as‐prepared fullerenols, and the photoluminescence and capabilities of these molecules to form supramolecular self‐assemblies were systematically studied. It was found that fullerenols show wavelength‐dependent emission with an absolute fluorescent quantum yield of approximately 3.5 %. The PL characteristics are reminiscent of carbon dots, especially those obtained by using the top–down method. The studied fullerenols can be used to detect Cu 2+ ions with a limit of detection down to 3.50 μ m . In addition, the amphiphilicity of the fullerenols can be readily tuned by ionic complexation with cationic surfactants, such as 1‐tetradecyl‐3‐methylimidazoliumbromide (C 14 mimB) and tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB). On increasing the concentration of the surfactant, the transition of aggregates was induced from highly ordered vesicles to honeycomb‐structured crystals and finally to giant micelles. After the formation of supramolecular self‐assemblies, enhancement of photoluminescence was observed, which can be ascribed to the suppression of intramolecular vibrations and motion combined with the loosely packed self‐assembly array. This study provides a facile way to generate PL nanoarchitectures, which may find applications in fluorescent sensing, drug delivery, and optoelectronics.