Synthesis of Large-Area Crystalline Few-Layer γ-Graphyne Films at a Liquid/Liquid Interface

Here we report the synthesis of macroscopic films of multilayer or few-layer γ-graphyne, an sp1/sp2 allotrope of carbon, through cross-coupling 2D polymerization at a liquid/liquid interface. By adjusting the hydrophilicity of the palladium cross-coupling catalyst, we could control the thickness and morphology of these films. This interfacial synthesis method yielded γ-graphyne with fewer defects than our previously reported homogeneous batch synthesis and allowed for creating crystalline, micron-scale films of single-layer and few-layer γ-graphyne. Furthermore, we observed that the stacking of γ-graphyne pro-duced in interfacial reactions was more orderly than that produced in batch syntheses.