Self-assembly of fullerene C-based amphiphiles in solutions.

Fullerene C is an all-carbon cage molecule with rich physicochemical properties. It is highly symmetric and hydrophobic, which can be used as a building block for the preparation of amphiphiles that self-assemble into diverse supramolecular structures in aqueous solutions. Meanwhile, C is also lipophobic, which is different from the alkyl chains in traditional surfactants. By attaching alkyl chains to the C sphere, a new type of lipophobic-lipophilic amphiphiles can be constructed which undergo self-assembly in -alkanes. When inorganic clusters such as polyoxometalate are linked to the C sphere, organic-inorganic hybrids will be obtained which can self-assemble in polar organic solvents. Pristine C has also been modified by polar groups such as hydroxy and carboxy, which are linked to hydrophobic moieties and form a new class of amphiphiles. In this review, the self-assembly of C-based amphiphiles in aqueous and nonaqueous solutions will be summarized. The characteristics exhibited by C-based amphiphiles during the self-assembly will be discussed with close comparison to traditional surfactants, and the influences of the aggregate formation on the physicochemical properties of the C sphere will be described. Finally, a brief summary will be given together with a promising perspective in near future.