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DOE OSTI · 1818159

Carbon clusters formed from shocked benzene

Dattelbaum, D. M. (ORCID:0000000294125917)·Watkins, E. B.·Firestone, M. A.·Huber, R. C.·Gustavsen, R. L.·Ringstrand, B. S.·Coe, J. D.·Podlesak, D.·Gleason, A. E. (ORCID:0000000277365118)·Lee, H. J.·Galtier, E.·Sandberg, R. L.
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Abstract

Abstract Benzene (C 6 H 6 ), while stable under ambient conditions, can become chemically reactive at high pressures and temperatures, such as under shock loading conditions. Here, we report in situ x-ray diffraction and small angle x-ray scattering measurements of liquid benzene shocked to 55 GPa, capturing the morphology and crystalline structure of the shock-driven reaction products at nanosecond timescales. The shock-driven chemical reactions in benzene observed using coherent XFEL x-rays were a complex mixture of products composed of carbon and hydrocarbon allotropes. In contrast to the conventional description of diamond, methane and hydrogen formation, our present results indicate that benzene’s shock-driven reaction products consist of layered sheet-like hydrocarbon structures and nanosized carbon clusters with mixed sp 2 - sp 3 hybridized bonding. Implications of these findings range from guiding shock synthesis of novel compounds to the fundamentals of carbon transport in planetary physics.

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37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRYChemical physicsPhysical chemistry

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Dattelbaum, D. M. (ORCID:0000000294125917), Watkins, E. B., Firestone, M. A., Huber, R. C., Gustavsen, R. L., Ringstrand, B. S., Coe, J. D., Podlesak, D., Gleason, A. E. (ORCID:0000000277365118), Lee, H. J., Galtier, E., Sandberg, R. L.. 2021-09-01. Carbon clusters formed from shocked benzene. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25471-0

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