Synthesis of a new C₆₀ cyanofullerene derivative

Abstract

Through a nucleophilic substitution reaction made on C₆₀Br₂₄ a new cyanofullerene derivative has been synthesized. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) has led to the following stoichiometry for the new compound: [C₆₀(CN)₇]^–[Bu₄N]⁺ which was further confirmed both with the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and the electronic absorption spectroscopy. The thermal stability of [C₆₀(CN)₇]^–[Bu₄N]⁺ was studied very carefully by TGA-DTG, by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and by TGA-FTIR in comparison to the behavior of the reagents C₆₀Br₂₄ and tetrabutylammonium cyanide.

Keywords:

• Cyanofullerene
• [C₆₀(CN)₇]^–[Bu₄N]⁺
• nucleophilic substitution
• thermal analysis
• TGA
• XPS
• DSC
• FT-IR
• UV-VIS

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge support from State Research Agency (AEI) of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) under grant PID2020-115758GB-I00. RA acknowledges funding from the Spanish MCIN (PID2019-104739GB-100/AEI/10.13039/501100011033). The XPS studies were performed in the Laboratorio de Microscopias Avanzadas (LMA), Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain). We thank G. Antorrena (LMA) for the XPS measurements. This article is based upon work from COST Action NanoSpace, CA21126, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).