Abstract
Water solutions of fullerene-based ionomers, C 60 [(CH 2 ) 4 SO 3 Na] 6 (star-ionomer), have been studied by small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The scattering profiles indicate clearly the existence of small aggregates of star-ionomers. The structural information of the aggregates is extracted from the SANS and SAXS data using a hard sphere model. By the contrast between neutron and X-ray scattering, the average aggregation number is determined to be 8.5 for 1 wt.% sample solutions. The spherical-like aggregates are nearly monodisperse in the investigated concentration range from 0.25 to 4%.