Interactions between fullerene(C60) and poly(ethylene oxide) in their complexes as revealed by high-resolution solid-state C NMR spectroscopy

A series of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/fullerene(C₆₀) complexes are prepared by lyophilization. The intermolecular interaction and molecular motion in the complex are investigated by solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. An intense C₆₀ signal due to the intermolecular cross-polarization is observed in the ¹³C CP/MAS spectra of the complex samples, indicating a high degree of dispersion of C₆₀s in the complexes. By measuring the ¹³C spin-lattice relaxation times and ¹H transverse relaxation times of the complex sample and by comparing the static ¹³C spectrum of the pure C₆₀ sample with that of the complex sample, it is demonstrated that there exist n-π interactions between the n-orbitals of the PEO ether oxygen and the π-system of C₆₀. The C₆₀ molecules act as physical cross-links in the amorphous region of PEO, which greatly inhibit the mobility of the surrounding PEO chains, while the rapid isotropic rotation of C₆₀ molecules is also reduced to some extent due to the interactions with the polymer chains.