Carbyne: from synthesis and vibrational properties to nonlinear optics

Carbyne, the sp-hybridized carbon allotrope, is among the most fascinating one-dimensional nanomaterials. From record-breaking stiffness to tunable electronic behavior and predicted giant nonlinear optical response, the extraordinary properties of carbyne have attracted considerable attention, driving efforts to synthesize this elusive material [1,2]. Despite these efforts, carbyne remains still unrealized in bulk form due to the intrinsic instability of unprotected sp bonds [1]. Carbyne-like materials, ranging from finite polyynes protected by bulky endgroups or rotaxanes to long linear chains encapsulated in nanotubes, have been synthesized and studied as a route to approach the ideal carbyne limit [3-6].

In this seminar, I will present our work on the synthesis, Raman characterization, and vibrational properties of these carbyne-like systems, with a particular focus on carbyne chains confined in carbon and boron nitride nanotubes [7-9]. I will then discuss existing ultrafast and nonlinear optical studies on sp-carbon chains, their current limitations, and the open question that are still unaddressed [2,10]. I will outline how ultrafast and nonlinear optical spectroscopy, combined with controlled carbyne synthesis, could finally close this gap.

[1] C. S. Casari et al., Nanoscale, 2016,8, 4414-4435

[2] N. R. Agarwal et al., J. Phys. Chem. C 2016, 120, 20, 11131–11139

[3] Y. Gao and R. R. Tykwinski, Acc. Chem. Res., 2022, 55, 24, 3616–3630

[4] A. Arora et al., ACS Cent. Sci.2023, 9, 12, 2225–2240

[5] C. W. Patrick et al., Nat. Chem., 2024, 16, 193-200

[6] Shi et al., Nat. Mater., 2016, 15, 634–639

[7] P. Marabotti et al., Nat. Commun., 2022, 13, 5052

[8] J. M. A. Lechner et al., Nat. Commun., 2025,16, 4360

[9] P. Marabotti et al., “Quasi-ideal carbyne chains confined in boron nitride nanotubes”, in preparation

[10] P. Kabaciński et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2023, 145, 33, 18382–18390

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