A STUDY OF FULLERENE EPOXIDE ELECTROREDUCTION AND ELECTROPOLYMERIZATION PROCESSES

The electrochemical behavior of C60O at a gold electrode in o-dichloro benzene, dichloromethane, and a mixture of toluene and acetonitrile wa s studied in the potential range from 0.4 to -1.5 V. Three one-electro n transfer steps are observed for C60O within this potential window. T he first and the third electron transfers are attributed to the reduct ion of the fullerene cage. The product of the first electron transfer is found to undergo a solvent- and rate-dependent decomposition to C-6 0. The irreversible transfer of the second electron, attributed to the presence of the epoxide oxygen, leads to a substantial change in full erene structure and initiates polymer formation for which the kinetics of growth are found to be strongly solvent dependent.