Synthesis and electronic properties of donor-linked fullerenes towards photochemical molecular devices

We report our recent progress in the synthesis and the study of donor-linked fullerenes. The synthesis of C-60 polyadducts with well defined three-dimensional structure provides versatile building blocks for the preparation of porphyrin-fullerene derivatives with unusual stereochemical and electronic properties. Phenanthroline ligands substituted with fullerene-functionalized dendritic wedges and their copper(I) complexes have been prepared. Electrochemical and photophysical investigations have shown that the bis(phenanthroline)copper(I) central core is somehow buried in a dendritic black box. Finally, fullerene-oligophenylenevinylene hybrids have been synthesised in order to provide a molecular approach to photovoltaic conversion, and to prevent the morphology problems resulting from the phase separation in donor-acceptor composites. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.