Abstract
Carbon nanomaterials receive much attention due to enhanced mechanical and electrical properties that arise from nanoconfinement. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (3-dimensional) and graphene sheets (2-dimensional) have seen applications as sensors, high-strength fiber reinforcements, and adhesives. Carbyne, a 1-dimensional purely carbon structure consisting of alternating single and triple bonds, is projected to be the strongest material in the known world, with specific strength several times that of CNTs and graphene. Despite its desirable properties, carbyne’s extreme instability under standard conditions has inhibited its commercial development. Recent advancements in carbyne synthesis using CNTs as molecular scaffolds show that carbyne may finally be able to progress from theory to reality. Here, an approach for the preparation and stabilization of long-chain carbyne without the use of CNTs is proposed. Using multilevel pulse-voltage injection (MLPI) to create uniform, subnanometer diameter pores in silicon nitride as thermally stable nanoreactors, initial theoretical calculations suggest that carbyne may be synthesized under high temperature and vacuum. Carbyne chains may then be extracted from the pores and subsequently stabilized by immersion into a solution of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA). The long-chain carbyne is then free to be used for a multiplicity of applications, including low-threshold sensors and the realization of high-strength carbyne fibers.
Highlights
With the rapid development of nanoscience and nanotechnology came the discovery of several types of nanostructural conformations of carbon
The longest chains synthesized via end group addition outside of Carbon nanotube (CNT) are only 40-50 acetylenic carbon atoms long, while the DWCNTencapsulated carbyne chains can reach approximately 6000 units [4]
When two triple-bonded acetylenic carbons from adjacent carbyne chains come into contact, a π-MO from one chain overlaps with a π-antibonding molecular orbital (ABMO) on the other chain with an activation energy barrier of 0.6 eV [5] such that two single-bond crosslinks are formed between the chains
Summary
With the rapid development of nanoscience and nanotechnology came the discovery of several types of nanostructural conformations of carbon. The longest chains synthesized via end group addition outside of CNTs are only 40-50 acetylenic carbon atoms long, while the DWCNTencapsulated carbyne chains can reach approximately 6000 units [4]. When two triple-bonded acetylenic carbons from adjacent carbyne chains come into contact, a π-MO from one chain overlaps with a π-antibonding molecular orbital (ABMO) on the other chain with an activation energy barrier of 0.6 eV [5] such that two single-bond crosslinks are formed between the chains.
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