Fullerenes in Aqueous Media: A Review

Physicochemical aspects of the formation of solutions of nanosized C-60 and some other fullerenes in aqueous media have been examined. The variety of methods for the preparation of aqueous dispersions of fullerenes gives rise sometimes to substantial differences in their colloidal, spectral, and other properties, including the chemical nature of impurities, bioactivity, and toxicity. Current methods for the quantitative analysis of fullerenes in aqueous media were summarized and attempts to standardize fullerene hydrosols were analyzed. The aggregative stability, coagulation, as well as the stabilization of hydrosols and suspensions of fullerenes were also reviewed. A new hypothesis for the structure of colloidal particles accounting for their negative charge was examined.