Electrochemistry of fullerenes immobilized on the electrodes

The main methods of fullerene immobilization on solid electrodes are briefly reviewed. The effect of the procedures of immobilization and introduction of donor substituents into fullerene on the electrochemical (and spectral) characteristics is considered. A general classification of fullerene coatings is proposed. The coatings can be grouped as (i) the phase films of individual fullerenes and (ii) the composite films of fullerenes, which are dispersed in/on the matrixes of various natures. It is concluded that the main parameters of redox conversions of phase films are determined by the retardation of matrix restructurization in the doping and, in the case of dispersed fullerenes, by the character of their interaction with other components of composition. The correct results for the dispersed systems can be obtained only by using the reference electrode with a potential virtually independent of solvent nature.