“Supramolecular Fullerene Sponges as Catalytic Masks for Regioselective Functionalization of C₆₀“, by Carles Fuertes-Espinosa, Cristina García-Simón, Míriam Pujals, Marc Garcia-Borràs, Laura Gómez, Teodor Parella, Judit Juanhuix, Inhar Imaz, Daniel Maspoch, Miquel Costas and Xavi Ribas.

Chem, in press (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2019.10.010

The supramolecular mask protocol is a significant step forward for the regioselective functionalization of fullerenes. The exquisite ability to form pure-isomer poly-functionalized C₆₀ adducts, overcoming tedious and non-practical chromatographic separations, allows for their direct testing in solar cell prototypes. Furthermore, the supramolecular mask strategy can be applied to C₇₀ or higher fullerenes, opening a plethora of poly-functionalized fullerene derivatives to be synthesized and tested. Moreover, apart from the nucleophilic cyclopropanations reported herein, the protocol is currently being expanded to Diels-Alder (DA), 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions and PC₆₀BM-type cyclopropanations, thus enabling a variety of regioselective functionalization reactions. This supramolecular mask strategy can help the discovery of the next generation of improved solar cells (organic or perovskite based) or new drug candidates.

This research has been carried out in close collaboration with Dr. Xavi Ribas (from the QBIS-CAT research group of the University of Girona (UdG)), the Catalan Institute of Nanotechnology (ICN2), the ALBA-BCN synchrotron and the NMR Service of the Autonomous University of Barcelona ( UAB). The results have just been published in the online version of the prestigious CHEM scientific journal .