Pressure polymerized C60 single crystals: First x-ray diffraction results

• C60 single crystals compressed at approx. 1 GPa and heated at about 300 C are found to polymerize in one dimension without losing their crystalline order. The resulting structure is orthrhombic, with space group Pmnn and parameters a=9.14 Å, b=9.9 Å and c=14.66 Å. The X-ray single crystal results allow us to derive a polymerization mechanism, which may also, for instance, apply to one dimensional C60 polymers in the doped compounds. The new polymer phase is discussed with respect to the C60 pressure-temperature diagram. The comparison with the A1C60 polymers raises questions about the interchain and the alkali metal - fullerene interactins.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Den kondenserade materiens fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Condensed Matter Physics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Fullerenes

C60

X-ray diffraction

single crystal polymer

structure

orthorhombic

chain orientation

alkali metal doping

pressure-temperature phase diagram

Condensed matter physics

Kondenserade materiens fysik

fysik

Physics

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)