Quantitative Analysis of Zigzag and Armchair Edges on Carbon Materials with and without Pentagons Using Infrared Spectroscopy.

Edge structures of carbon materials such as zigzag and armchair edges are known to affect their chemical and electronic properties. Although infrared spectroscopy (IR) has been known to be capable of identifying such edge structures, quantitative analysis using IR spectra has been conducted using only out-of-plane spC-H bending vibration, and the estimation of the percentage of edges is still challenging. In this work, a novel two-dimensional method to quantify edge structures of carbon materials with and without pentagons was developed by analyzing both out-of-plane spC-H bending and in-plane spC-H stretching vibration. Calibration factors of spC-H on each type of edge were obtained from experimental and simulated IR spectra of various reference compounds. Using the calibration factors, the edge structures of carbonized aromatic compounds with zigzag edges such as tetracene, armchair edges such as chrysene, and zigzag-like edges such as coronene were estimated quantitatively. From tetracene carbonized at 893 K, chrysene carbonized at 933 K, and coronene carbonized at 873 K, carbon materials with 20% of zigzag edges, 38% of armchair edges, and 67% of others edges were prepared, respectively. This method can be utilized as a quantitative analysis to determine edge structures of various carbon materials prepared below 933 K at the lowest.