Abstract
The protection of organic and hybrid organic-inorganic materials from X-ray damage is a fundamental technological issue for broadening the range of applications of these materials. In the present article it is shown that doping hybrid films with fullerenes C-60 gives a significant reduction of damage upon exposure to hard X-rays generated by a synchrotron source. At low X-ray dose the fullerene molecules act as 'radical scavengers', considerably reducing the degradation of organic species triggered by radical formation. At higher doses the gradual hydroxylation of the fullerenes converts C-60 into fullerol and a bleaching of the radical sinking properties is observed.