Self-assembly of fullerene-based janus particles in solution: effects of molecular architecture and solvent

Two molecular Janus particles based on amphiphilic [60]fullerene (C60 ) derivatives were designed and synthesized by using the regioselective Bingel-Hirsh reaction and the click reaction. These particles contain carboxylic acid functional groups, a hydrophilic fullerene (AC60 ), and a hydrophobic C60 in different ratios and have distinct molecular architectures: 1:1 (AC60 -C60 ) and 1:2 (AC60 -2C60 ). These molecular Janus particles can self-assemble in solution to form aggregates with various types of micellar morphology. Whereas vesicular morphology was observed for both AC60 -C60 and AC60 -2C60 in tetrahydrofuran, in a mixture of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)/water, spherical micelles and cylindrical micelles were observed for AC60 -C60 and AC60 -2C60 , respectively. A mechanism of formation was tentatively proposed based on the effects of molecular architecture and solvent polarity on self-assembly.