Pressure-driven solid-state radical polymerization toward carbon nanothread

Che, G.*; Tang, X.*; Liu, J.*; Lang, P.*; Fei, Y.*; Yang, X.*; Wang, Y.*; Gao, D.*; Wang, X.*; Ju, J.*; et al.

Nano Letters, 25(39), p.14467 - 14472, 2025/09

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c03977

Mechanochemical radical polymerization has unique advantages in the synthesis of polymer due to its reduced solvent consumption and adaptability of insoluble monomers. However, it suffers from the uncontrollable degradation of the formed polymers during reaction and new synthetic strategy with precise controllability needs to be developed. Here, by employing high static pressure up to 30 GPa, we found 1,3,5-trifluorobenzene undergoes radical polymerization by breaking the conjugated -bonds, and forms a carbon nanothread with high selectivity (Polymer-I polymorph). Based on the crystal structure at the threshold pressure and the calculated energy barriers for the bonding pathway, we concluded that the benzene-rings react via a 1-2 radical polymerization pathway. Our work highlights high pressure is a robust method to initiate the solid-state radical polymerization, even for very stable aromatics, and offers fresh insights for the synthesis of polymeric carbon-based materials with high selectivity.

Stable photoelectrochemical reactions at solid/solid interfaces toward solar energy conversion and storage

Watanabe, Kenta*; Horisawa, Yuhei*; Yoshimoto, Masataka*; Tamura, Kazuhisa; Suzuki, Kota*; Kanno, Ryoji*; Hirayama, Masaaki*

Nano Letters, 24(6), p.1916 - 1922, 2024/02

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c03982

Electrochemistry has extended from reactions at solid/liquid interfaces to those at solid/solid interfaces. In this study, we achieve the stable photoelectrochemical reaction at the semiconductor-electrode/solid-electrolyte interface in Nb-doped anatase-TiO (a-TiO:Nb)/LiPO (LPO)/Li all-solid-state cell. The oxidative currents of a-TiO:Nb/LPO/Li increase upon light irradiation when a-TiO:Nb is located at a potential that is more positive than its flat-band potential. The photoelectrochemical reaction at the semiconductor/solid-electrolyte interface is driven by the same principle as that at semiconductor/liquid-electrolyte interfaces. Thus, we extend photoelectrochemistry to all-solid-state systems composed of solid/solid interfaces.

Spin-orbit-induced Ising ferromagnetism at a van der Waals interface

Matsuoka, Hideki*; Barnes, S. E.*; Ieda, Junichi; Maekawa, Sadamichi; Bahramy, M. S.*; Saika, B. K.*; Takeda, Yukiharu; Wadachi, Hiroki*; Wang, Y.*; Yoshida, Satoshi*; et al.

Nano Letters, 21(4), p.1807 - 1814, 2021/02

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c04851

Direct imaging of current-induced antiferromagnetic switching revealing a pure thermomagnetoelastic switching mechanism in NiO

Meer, H.*; Schreiber, F.*; Schmitt, C.*; Ramos, R.*; Saito, Eiji; Gomonay, O.*; Sinova, J.*; Baldrati, L.*; Klui, M.*

Nano Letters, 21(1), p.114 - 119, 2021/01

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c03367

In situ SR-XPS observation of Ni-assisted low-temperature formation of epitaxial graphene on 3C-SiC/Si

Hasegawa, Mika*; Sugawara, Kenta*; Suto, Ryota*; Sambonsuge, Shota*; Teraoka, Yuden; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Filimonov, S.*; Fukidome, Hirokazu*; Suemitsu, Maki*

Nanoscale Research Letters, 10, p.421_1 - 421_6, 2015/10

https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-015-1131-9

Graphene has attracted much attention as a promising material in electronics and photonics. The graphitization temperature of 1473 K or higher of graphene-on-silicon(GOS), however, is still too high to be fully compatible with the Si technology. Here, the first application of Ni-assisted formation of graphene to the GOS method was reported. We demonstrate that the graphene formation temperature can be reduced by more than 200 K by this method. Moreover, solid-phase reactions during heating/annealing/cooling procedures have been investigated in detail by using synchrotron-radiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. As a result, we clarify the role of Ni/SiC reactions, in which not only Ni silicidation and but also Ni carbonization is suggested as a key process in the formation of graphene.

Multiterminal nanowire junctions of silicon; A Theoretical prediction of atomic structure and electronic properties

Avramov, P.; Chernozatonskii, L. A.*; Sorokin, P. B.*; Gordon, M. S.*

Nano Letters, 7(7), p.2063 - 2067, 2007/07

https://doi.org/10.1021/nl070973y

Using an empirical scheme, the atomic structure of a new exotic class of silicon nanoclusters was elaborated upon the central icosahedral core (Si-IC) and pentagonal petals (Si-PP) growing from Si-IC vertexes. It was shown that Si-IC/Si-PP interface formation is energetically preferable. Some experimental observations of silicon nanostructures can be explained by the presence of the proposed objects. The extended Huckel theory electronic structure calculations demonstrate an ability of the proposed objects to act as nanoscale tunnel junctions.