Polymerization of a confined pi-system: Chemical synthesis of tetrahedral amorphous carbon nanoballs from graphitic carbon nanocapsules

Chu CC; Hwang GL; Chiou JW; Pong WT; Lin CL; Tsai CY; Lin HM; Chang YC; Chang CS; Hsu AH; Huang WL; Guo JH; Chen PH; Luh TY

Advanced Materials, Vol.17, No.22, 2707-2707, 2005

DOI10.1002/adma.200500757 Export Citation

Polymerization of a confined pi-system: Chemical synthesis of tetrahedral amorphous carbon nanoballs from graphitic carbon nanocapsules

Chu CC, Hwang GL, Chiou JW, Pong WT, Lin CL, Tsai CY, Lin HM, Chang YC, Chang CS, Hsu AH, Huang WL, Guo JH, Chen PH, Luh TY

Aziridination of graphitic carbon nanocapsules (CNCs) followed by pyrolysis at 700 degrees C at ambient pressure yields tetrahedral amorphous carbon nanoballs (CNBs, see Figure). Because of the pyramidal character of some of the double bonds in the derivatized CNCs, a radical chain mechanism is proposed to rationalize the transformation of C sp(2) hybridization in the CNCs to C sp(3) hybridization in the CNBs.