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Spectroscopic and Photochemical Properties of Water-Soluble Fullerenol
Citation:
Kong, L., O. Tedrow, AND R. G. ZEPP. Spectroscopic and Photochemical Properties of Water-Soluble Fullerenol. Presented at 236th ACS National Meeting & Exposition, Philadelphia, PA, August 17 - 21, 2008.
Impact/Purpose:
The overall objective of this task is to develop quantitative relationships for assessing the vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems (freshwater and coastal) and their services to global change.
Description:
Fullerenol, a hydroxylated form of C60-fullerene, is of potential environmental and biological significance due to its buckyball structure, hydroxyl groups and high water solubility. Although fullerenol is known to be an efficient triplet photosensitizer, little is known about its direct photoreactivity under environmental conditions. Spectroscopic properties including ultraviolet-visible absorption and fluorescence were examined, and fullerenol irradiation kinetics with simulated solar and monochromatic irradiation were investigated. The absorption coefficients of fullerenol decreased after irradiation, whereas the excitation-emission matrix fluorescence increased with the excitation/emission peak shifting to shorter wavelengths. The fluorescence quantum yields of fullerenol ranged from 0.00017 to 0.00041 over an excitation wavelength range of 300 to 410 nm. The direct photoreaction of fullerenol exhibited multi-stage kinetics with an initial quantum yield of 0.017 at an irradiation wavelength of 366 nm.