Redox potentials and binding enhancement of fullerene and fullerene–cyclodextrin systems in water and dimethylsulfoxide

The formal redox potentials of electron transfer reactions of fullerene, methanofullerene, fullerene–cyclodextrin complex and methanofullerene conjugates with cyclodextrins in aqueous and dimethylsulfoxide solutions are reported. These new compounds are surface active and retain the redox activity of C60 even in aqueous medium. Compounds have been characterized by an electrochemical admittance technique, which offers an advantage of separating faradaic and capacitive properties. Observed difference of formal redox potentials of the free fullerene forms and their cyclodextrin-containing compounds were used to determine the binding enhancement. Results are interpreted in terms of inter-molecular host–guest interactions of C60-cyclodextrin conjugates.