“Red Carbon”: A Rediscovered Covalent Crystalline Semiconductor

Odziomek M, Giusto P, Kossmann J, Tarakina N, Heske J, Rivadeneira SM, Keil W, Schmidt C, Mazzanti S, Savateev O, Perdigon-Toro L, Neher D, Kühne TD, Antonietti M, Lopez-Salas N (2022)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal

Advanced Materials Wiley

Book Volume: 34

Article Number: 2206405

Journal Issue: 40

DOI: 10.1002/adma.202206405

Abstract

Carbon suboxide (C3O2) is a unique molecule able to polymerize spontaneously into highly conjugated light-absorbing structures at temperatures as low as 0 °C. Despite obvious advantages, little is known about the nature and the functional properties of this carbonaceous material. In this work, the aim is to bring “red carbon,” a forgotten polymeric semiconductor, back to the community's attention. A solution polymerization process is adapted to simplify the synthesis and control the structure. This allows one to obtain this crystalline covalent material at low temperatures. Both spectroscopic and elemental analyses support the chemical structure represented as conjugated ladder polypyrone ribbons. Density functional theory calculations suggest a crystalline structure of AB stacks of polypyrone ribbons and identify the material as a direct bandgap semiconductor with a medium bandgap that is further confirmed by optical analysis. The material shows promising photocatalytic performance using blue light. Moreover, the simple condensation–aromatization route described here allows the straightforward fabrication of conjugated ladder polymers and can be inspiring for the synthesis of carbonaceous materials at low temperatures in general.

Involved external institutions

Max-Planck-Institut für Kolloid- und Grenzflächenforschung / Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces DE Germany (DE) Universität Paderborn DE Germany (DE) Universität Potsdam DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Odziomek, M., Giusto, P., Kossmann, J., Tarakina, N., Heske, J., Rivadeneira, S.M.,... Lopez-Salas, N. (2022). “Red Carbon”: A Rediscovered Covalent Crystalline Semiconductor. Advanced Materials, 34(40). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202206405

MLA:

Odziomek, Mateusz, et al. "“Red Carbon”: A Rediscovered Covalent Crystalline Semiconductor." Advanced Materials 34.40 (2022).

BibTeX: Download