Issue 8, 2020

In situ synthesis of polyynes in a polymer matrix via pulsed laser ablation in a liquid

Abstract

Polyynes are finite chains formed by sp-hybridized carbon atoms with alternating single and triple bonds and display intriguing electronic and optical properties. Pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) is a well assessed technique for the physical synthesis of hydrogen-capped polyynes in solution; however, their limited stability prevents further exploitation in materials for different applications. In this work, polyynes in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were produced in a single-step PLAL process by ablating graphite directly in an aqueous solution of PVA which, as a participating medium for PLAL, is shown to favour the formation of polyynes. The addition of Ag colloids to the aqueous PVA/polyynes solution allowed surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) measurements, carried out both on liquid samples and on free-standing nanocomposites, obtained after solvent evaporation. A non-trivial behaviour of the polymer matrix structure as a function of the PVA concentration is revealed showing that an intimate blend of polyynes and Ag nanoparticles with the polymer can be achieved. We demonstrate that polyynes in the nanocomposite remain stable for at least 11 months, whereas the corresponding Ag/PVA/polyynes solution displayed a strong polyyne decomposition already after 3 weeks. These results pave the way to further characterization of the properties of polyyne-based films and materials.

Graphical abstract: In situ synthesis of polyynes in a polymer matrix via pulsed laser ablation in a liquid

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 júl. 2020
Accepted
12 ágú. 2020
First published
14 ágú. 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Mater. Adv., 2020,1, 2729-2736

In situ synthesis of polyynes in a polymer matrix via pulsed laser ablation in a liquid

S. Peggiani, A. Facibeni, A. Milani, C. Castiglioni, V. Russo, A. Li Bassi and C. S. Casari, Mater. Adv., 2020, 1, 2729 DOI: 10.1039/D0MA00545B

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements