Stable aqueous dispersions of fullerenes, C60 and C70, were prepared by simply injecting into water a
saturated solution of fullerene in tetrahydofuran (THF), followed by THF removal by purging gaseous
nitrogen. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the stable dispersion of C70 in water. Fullerenes are
dispersed as monodisperse clusters in water, 60 nm in diameter. High resolution transmission electron
microscopy revealed the polycrystalline nature of the cluster. The preparation of the dispersion is very
easy to perform, and the dispersions thus obtained are of excellent colloidal stability even though no
stabilizing agent is used. It was found that the surface of the cluster is negatively charged and the electrostatic
repulsion between the negatively charged cluster surfaces is important for the stability of the dispersions.
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