Langmuir-Blodgett Films of C₆₀-end-capped Poly(ethylene oxide)

Buckyballs (C₆₀) are linked to one end and two ends of linear poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chains through highly efficient click chemistry to obtain giant amphiphilic molecules C₆₀-PEO and C₆₀-PEO-C₆₀, respectively. C₆₀-PEO and C₆₀-PEO-C₆₀ molecules are spread on water surface and then transferred to solid substrates with Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film deposition approach. C₆₀-PEO and C₆₀-PEO-C₆₀ exhibit fractal growth behavior on the solid substrate under certain conditions owing to the crystallization ability of PEO segment. PEO chain length and the end capped mode both affect the fractal growth pattern.