preparation-of-carbon-nanosheets-at-room-temperature

Preparation of Carbon Nanosheets at Room Temperature

Amphiphilic molecules equipped with a reactive, carbon-rich "oligoyne" segment consisting of conjugated carbon-carbon triple bonds self-assemble into ...

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Nanostructured carbonaceous materials, that is, carbon materials with a feature size on the nanometer scale and, in some cases, functionalized surfaces, already play an important role in a wide range of emerging fields, such as the search for novel energy sources, efficient energy storage, sustainable chemical technology, as well as organic electronic materials. Furthermore, such materials might offer solutions to the challenges associated with the on-going depletion of nonrenewable energy resources or climate change, and they may promote further breakthroughs in the field of microelectronics. However, novel methods for their preparation will be required that afford functional carbon materials with controlled surface chemistry, mesoscopic morphology, and microstructure. A highly promising approach for the synthesis of such materials is based on the use of well-defined molecular precursors.

Nanostructured carbonaceous materials from molecular precursors.

Elements for a rational polymer approach towards carbon nanostructures.

Packing constraints and precise placement of functional groups are the reason that organic molecules in the crystalline state often display unusual physical or chemical properties not observed in solution. Here we report a single-crystal-to-single-crystal dimerization of a bromodiacetylene that involves unusually large atom displacements as well as the cleavage and formation of several bonds. Density functional theory computations support a mechanism in which the dimerization is initiated by a [2 + 1] photocycloaddition favoured by the nature of carbon-carbon short contacts in the crystal structure. The reaction proceeded up to the theoretical degree of conversion without loss of crystallinity, and it was also performed on a preparative scale with good yield. Moreover, it represents the first synthetic pathway to (E)-1,2-dibromo-1,2-diethynylethenes, which could serve as synthetic intermediates for the preparation of molecular carbon scaffolds. Our findings both extend the scope of single-crystal-to-single-crystal reactions and highlight their potential as a synthetic tool for complex transformations.

A multistep single-crystal-to-single-crystal bromodiacetylene dimerization.

Low-temperature preparation of functional carbon nanocapsules via self-assembly and carbonization of hexayne amphiphiles.

Carbon nanostructures that feature two-dimensional extended nanosheets are important components for technological applications such as high-performance composites, lithium-ion storage, photovoltaics and nanoelectronics. Chemical functionalization would render such structures better processable and more suited for tailored applications, but typically this is precluded by the high temperatures needed to prepare the nanosheets. Here, we report direct access to functional carbon nanosheets of uniform thickness at room temperature. We used amphiphiles that contain hexayne segments as metastable carbon precursors and self-assembled these into ordered monolayers at the air/water interface. Subsequent carbonization by ultraviolet irradiation in ambient conditions resulted in the quantitative carbonization of the hexayne sublayer. Carbon nanosheets prepared in this way retained their surface functionalization and featured an sp(2)-rich amorphous carbon structure comparable to that usually obtained on annealing above 800 °C. Moreover, they exhibited a molecularly defined thickness of 1.9 nm, were mechanically self-supporting over several micrometres and had macroscopic lateral dimensions on the order of centimetres.

Article	Year
Nanostructured carbonaceous materials from molecular precursors. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)\| PubMed ID: 20661971	2010
Elements for a rational polymer approach towards carbon nanostructures. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)\| PubMed ID: 22639456	2012
A multistep single-crystal-to-single-crystal bromodiacetylene dimerization. Nature chemistry\| PubMed ID: 23511422	2013
Low-temperature preparation of functional carbon nanocapsules via self-assembly and carbonization of hexayne amphiphiles. Chimia\| PubMed ID: 23945106	2013
Functional carbon nanosheets prepared from hexayne amphiphile monolayers at room temperature. Nature chemistry\| PubMed ID: 24848231	2014

Stephen Schrettl

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