Production of perfluoroalkylated nanospheres from buckminsterfullerene

Perfluoroalkylated nanospheres have been prepared by reaction of fullerenes with a variety of fluoroalkyl radicals. The latter are generated by thermal or photochemical decomposition of fluoroalkyl iodides or fluorodiacyl peroxides. Up to 16 radicals add to C(60) to afford easily isolable fluoroalkylated derivatives. The monosubstituted radical adducts were detected by electron spin resonance in the early stages of the fluoroalkylation reactions. These spheroidal molecules are thermally quite stable, soluble in fluoroorganic solvents, chemically resistant to corrosive aqueous solutions, and more volatile than the parent fullerenes. Films of the sublimed material display properties typical for a perfluoroalkylated material.