Diamond nanothreads are an emerging class of polymeric nanomaterial, formed through the high-pressure, solid-state polymerization of small unsaturated ring systems (e.g., benzene, pyridine, furan). Nanothread forming reactions proceed along the molecular stacking axis to produce crystalline one-dimensional polymers with an extended sp3 carbon core. These diamond-like materials are predicted to retain polymer flexibility while also possessing the enhanced mechanical, thermal and chemical stability of diamond. Nanothreads also allow for the incorporation of a wide variety of functionalities depending on the precursors used in their synthesis. However, due to the number of competing reaction pathways viable at the elevated pressures required for nanothread synthesis, the resulting products typically lack long-range structural order. This issue is compounded for precursors which contain pendant functional groups which can also partake in unwanted side-reactions. For nanothreads to reach their potential, and to enable the a priori prediction of nanothread structures, it is imperative that synthetic strategies are developed to control nanothread formation and reduce side reactions. Such predictable reactivity is necessary if we are to to produce highly ordered nanothread polymers wherein their exact chemical structures, and therefore potential properties and reactivity can be accurately determined.<br/>This talk will highlight our work on the use “thread directing” heteroatoms and other metrics as reliable methods to predict nanothread formation pathways and produce highly ordered nanothread polymers. The application of these concepts to more complex precursor systems such as those containing pendant functional groups as well as the synthesis, characterization and reactivity of the resulting nanothread materials will also be discussed.

Controlling diamond nanothread synthesis: Advances in the formation of ordered, functionalized nanothread polymers

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ACS Fall 2022

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