Abstract
A range of carbon nanoparticles together with polyyne chains are formed when liquid benzene is irradiated with 120 fs pulses of intensity approximate to 1 x 10(14) Wcm(-2). The morphology and composition of these nanoparticles are reported. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows irradiation result in the formation of spherical, ellipsoidal and toroidal nanoparticles with sizes between 1 and 50 nm. Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SEAS) indicates that the composition of these particles is primarily amorphous carbon reinforced by polyyne chains with 8-14 carbon atoms. Time of flight mass spectroscopy (TOF-MS) has been used to determine the precursor molecules created in the irradiation of benzene and shows the importance of ring-opening reactions in particle formation. A simple chemical mechanism is proposed to explain the appearance of polyyne chains in irradiated benzene. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.