The unique mechanical, optical, and electrical properties of carbyne, a one-dimensional allotrope of carbon, make it a highly promising material for various applications. It has been demonstrated that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can serve as an ideal host for the formation of confined carbyne (CC), with the yield being influenced by the quality of the carbon nanotubes for confinement and the carbon source for carbyne growth. In this study, a robust synthesis route of CC within CNTs is proposed. C₇₀ was utilized as a precursor to provide an additional carbon source, based on its ability to supply more carbon atoms than C₆₀ at the same filling ratio. Multi-step transformation processes, including defect creation, were designed to enhance the yield of CC. As a result, the yield of CC was significantly increased for the C₇₀ encapsulated single-walled CNTs by more than an order of magnitude than the empty counterparts, which also surpasses that of the double-walled CNTs, making it the most effective route for synthesizing CC. These findings highlight the importance of the additional carbon source and the optimal pathway for CC formation, offering valuable insights for the application of materials with high yield.

Ionic conductivity and electro/chemical compatibility of Li₁₀SnP₂S₁₂ electrolytes play crucial roles in achieving superior electrochemical performances of the corresponding solid-state batteries. However, the relatively low Li-ion conductivity and poor stability of Li₁₀SnP₂S₁₂ toward high-voltage layered oxide cathodes limit its applications. Here, a Br-substituted strategy has been applied to promote Li-ion conductivity. The optimal composition of Li_9.9SnP₂S_11.9Br_0.1 delivers high conductivity up to 6.0 mS cm⁻¹. ⁷Li static spin-lattice relaxation (T₁) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and density functional theory simulation are combined to unravel the improvement of Li-ion diffusion mechanism for the modified electrolytes. To mitigate the interfacial stability between the Li_9.9SnP₂S_11.9Br_0.1 electrolyte and the bare LiNi_0.7Co_0.1Mn_0.2O₂ cathode, introducing Li₂ZrO₃ coating layer and Li₃InCl₆ isolating layer strategies has been employed to fabricate all-solid-state lithium batteries with excellent electrochemical performances. The Li₃InCl₆-LiNi_0.7Co_0.1Mn_0.2O₂/Li₃InCl₆/Li_9.9SnP₂S_11.9Br_0.1/Li-In battery delivers much higher discharge capacities and fast capacity degradations at different charge/discharge C rates, while the Li₂ZrO₃@LiNi_0.7Co_0.1Mn_0.2O₂/Li_9.9SnP₂S_11.9Br_0.1/Li-In battery shows slightly lower discharge capacities at the same C rates and superior cycling performances. Multiple characterization methods are conducted to reveal the differences of battery performance. The poor electrochemical performance of the latter battery configuration is associated with the interfacial instability between the Li₃InCl₆ electrolyte and the Li_9.9SnP₂S_11.9Br_0.1 electrolyte. This work offers an effective strategy to constructing Li₁₀SnP₂S₁₂-based all-solid-state lithium batteries with high capacities and superior cyclabilities.

Armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNRs) with sub-nanometer width are potential materials for the fabrication of novel nanodevices thanks to their moderate direct band gaps. AGNRs are usually synthesized by polymerizing precursor molecules on substrate surface. However, it is time-consuming and not suitable for large-scale production. AGNRs can also be grown by transforming precursor molecules inside single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) via furnace annealing, but the obtained AGNRs are normally twisted. In this work, microwave heating is applied for transforming precursor molecules into AGNRs. The fast heating process allows synthesizing the AGNRs in seconds. Several different molecules were successfully transformed into AGNRs, suggesting that it is a universal method. More importantly, as demonstrated by Raman spectroscopy, aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and theoretical calculations, less twisted AGNRs are synthesized by the microwave heating than the furnace annealing. Our results reveal a route for rapid production of AGNRs in large scale, which would benefit future applications in novel AGNRs-based semiconductor devices.