Periodical variation of electronic properties in polyhydroxylated metallofullerene materials

Abstract

Polyhydroxylation of metallofullerenes to control the electronic properties of the material was investigated. The Gd@C82 and Gd@C 82(OH)x materials with a changing number of hydroxyls were purified and synthesized. The electronic properties of the Gd@C 82(OH)x film using synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy (SRPES) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (SRXAS) were studied. It was observed that when the OH groups reach a certain number in Gd@C 82(OH)x, the electron emission of the innermost Gd shows a periodical emergence or disappearance, depending on the addition of the number of hydroxyls on to the outer surface of the fullerene cages. The results suggested polyhydroxylation of metallofullerene to be a new way for designing materials with novel electronic, optical, or magnetic functions.