Molecular Characteristics of Star-Like Polyvinylpyrrolidone with Fullerene C60 as the Branching Site in Dilute Solutions.

Abstract Star-like water-soluble macromolecules with fullerene as the branching site were synthesized by the reaction of fullerene C60 with polyvinylpyrrolidone whose molecules contain one terminal primary amino group. The initial and C60-containing polymers were studied by UV spectroscopy, thin-layer chromatography, centrifugal sedimentation, translation diffusion, and viscometry in aqueous buffer solutions. Diffusion-sedimentation and sedimentation two-detector analyses of the initial and fullerene-containing samples were performed. The molecular weights of the polymers were estimated by the Svedberg equation. The proportion of the fullerene-containing segment in the samples synthesized was determined, and the number of the branches in the fullerene-containing macromolecules was estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]