Poly(hydridocarbyne) (PHC) is one of a class of carbon-based random network

polymers A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic an ...

primarily composed of tetrahedrally hybridized carbon atoms, each having one hydride substituent, exhibiting the generic formula C. PHC is made from

bromoform Bromoform (CHBr3) is a brominated organic solvent, colorless liquid at room temperature, with a high refractive index, very high density, and sweet odor is similar to that of chloroform. It is one of the four haloforms, the others being fluoroform, ...

, a liquid halocarbon that is commercially manufactured from

methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Eart ...

. At room temperature, poly(hydridocarbyne) is a dark brown powder. It can be easily dissolved in a number of solvents (

tetrahydrofuran Tetrahydrofuran (THF), or oxolane, is an organic compound with the formula (CH2)4O. The compound is classified as heterocyclic compound, specifically a cyclic ether. It is a colorless, water-miscible organic liquid with low viscosity. It is ma ...

ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group—an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups. They have the general formula , where R and R′ represent the alkyl or aryl groups. Ethers can again be c ...

toluene Toluene (), also known as toluol (), is a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon. It is a colorless, water-insoluble liquid with the smell associated with paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, consisting of a methyl group (CH3) at ...

etc.), forming a colloidal suspension that is clear and non-viscous, which may then be deposited as a film or coating on various substrates. Upon

thermolysis Thermal decomposition, or thermolysis, is a chemical decomposition caused by heat. The decomposition temperature of a substance is the temperature at which the substance chemically decomposes. The reaction is usually endothermic as heat is req ...

argon Argon is a chemical element with the symbol Ar and atomic number 18. It is in group 18 of the periodic table and is a noble gas. Argon is the third-most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere, at 0.934% (9340 ppmv). It is more than twice as abu ...

at atmospheric pressure and temperatures of 110 °C to 1000 °C, decomposition of poly(hydridocarbyne) results in hexagonal diamond (

lonsdaleite Lonsdaleite (named in honour of Kathleen Lonsdale), also called hexagonal diamond in reference to the crystal structure, is an allotrope of carbon with a hexagonal lattice, as opposed to the cubical lattice of conventional diamond. It is found i ...

). More recently poly(hydridocarbyne) has been synthesized by a much simpler method using electrolysis of

chloroform Chloroform, or trichloromethane, is an organic compound with chemical formula, formula Carbon, CHydrogen, HChlorine, Cl3 and a common organic solvent. It is a colorless, strong-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to ...

(May 2008)Toppare L ''et al.'' (2008) Facile Synthesis of Poly(hydridocarbyne): A Precursor to Diamond and Diamond-like Ceramics, ''Journal of Macromolecular Science, Part A'' 45 (5), May, 358–363, doi=10.1080/10601320801946108. and

hexachloroethane Hexachloroethane, also known as perchloroethane is the organochlorine compound with the chemical formula . It is white solid at room temperature with a camphor-like odor. It has been used by the military in smoke compositions, such as base-eject ...

(June 2009).Toppare L ''et al.'' (2009) Electrochemical polymerizatıon of hexachloroethane to form poly(hydridocarbyne): a pre-ceramic polymer for diamond production, ''Journal of Materials Science'' 44 2774–2779, doi=10.1007/s10853-009-3364-4. The novelty of PHC (and its related polymer poly(methylsilyne)) is that the polymer may be readily fabricated into various forms (e.g. films, fibers, plates) and then thermolyzed into a final hexagonal

diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...

ceramic.

References

* * (US patent application) * *

Notes

External links

Facile Synthesis of Poly(hydridocarbyne): A Precursor to Diamond and Diamond-like Ceramics

Liftport Staff Blog discussion
Organic polymers {{polymer-stub

See also

References

Notes

External links