Synthesis and Properties of Fullerene-Rich Dendrimers

Abstract

Owing to their peculiar electronic properties, fullerene derivatives are attractive building blocks for dendrimer chemistry. Whereas, for the main part, the fullerene-containing dendrimers reported so far have been prepared with a C60 core, dendritic structures with fullerene units at their surface or with C60 spheres in the dendritic branches have been more scarcely considered. This is mainly associated with the difficulties related to the synthesis of fullerene-rich molecules. In this review, the most recent developments on the molecular engineering of fullerene-rich dendrons and dendrimers are presented to illustrate the current state-of-the-art of fullerene chemistry for the preparation of new dendritic materials.