The laser synthesis of linear carbon chains

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel laser-based method to synthesize and deposit long linear carbon chains (carbynes) stabilized by gold nanoparticles, enabling potential fabrication of one-dimensional carbon wires.

Contribution

The authors develop a laser ablation technique in colloids to produce and stabilize long linear carbon chains with gold nanoparticles, advancing carbon nanostructure synthesis.

Findings

Successful synthesis of long linear carbon chains (8-24 atoms)

Observation of polyyne signatures in spectra

Deposition of chains on quartz substrates

Abstract

We synthesize macroscopically long linear carbon chains (carbynes) in a colloidal solution, then deposit them on a surface. The method is based on the formation of carbon threads by laser ablation in a colloid accompanied by the stabilization of resulting linear carbon chains by golden nanoparticles. We observe the signatures of the polyyne allotrope of carbyne in the photoluminescence and Raman spectra of the solutions. We deposit the synthesized carbyne threads on fused quartz glass substrates. The transmission electron microscopy images of the deposited threads with golden nanoparticles attached to their ends demonstrate the straight linear parts of the monoatomic carbon chains varying in length between 8 and 24 carbon atoms. This method paves the way to fabrication of an ultimate one-dimensional crystal: a monoatomic carbon wire.