Nano-sized [60]fullerene-cyclodextrin molecules

As [60]fullerene is a very hydrophobic macromolecule, there have been a number of attempts to make it more hydrophilic for biomedical applications. By attaching hydrophilic moieties such as poly(oxyethylene)(POE) chains and cyclodextrin molecules to [60]fullerene, novel water-soluble and biocompatible materials have been successfully prepared [1,2]. The synthesis of novel macrocyclic fullerene conjugates which are water-soluble is reported. The telechelic fullerene derivatives have been prepared via addition reaction of POE-based arms with covalently bonded β-cyclodextrin (CD) to [60]fullerene. To this end, a mono-tosylated CD derivative has been prepared in pyridine and then reacted with an amino-functional POE in the presence of triethylamine. The subsequent reaction of [60]fullerene with the hydrophilic POE-conjugated CD-derivative yielded the macrofullerene after separation and purification procedures. The macrocyclic [60]fullerene derivatives obtained were soluble in water and characterized by UV-VIS and FT-IR spectroscopy as well as light scattering measurements and thermogravimetric analysis.