Synthesis of High-Molecular-Weight [60]Fullerene Pearl-Necklace Polyamides Derived from Equatorial [60]fullerenobisacetic Acid

Abstract A series of [60]fullerene pearl-necklace polyamides, consisting of equatorial-[60]fullerenobisacetic acid and various chromophoric aromatic diamines, were synthesized by a phosphorylation route using large amounts of triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing reagents with stepwise addition of the condensing reagents. In the present polymers, [60]fullerene pearls and diamine linkers were attached to one another by cyclopropane connectors. The polyamides had weight-average molecular weights (Mw)of 4.5-5.0×104 g/mol and inherent viscosities (n inh) of 0.3-0.4 dL/g in N, N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) at 30 °C. They had glass transition temperatures at 30-125 °C and decomposition temperatures at 300-310 °C. The UV-VIS spectra in DMAc exhibited broad absorption with λmax at 310-390 nm tailing to longer wavelengths.