Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ahmad, Rasool, Crowhurst, Jonathan C., Bonev, Stanimir A.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.16926
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Table of Contents:
  • Under pressure, carbon monoxide (CO) transforms into a polymer that can be recovered to ambient conditions. While this transformation can occur without additional stimuli, experimental observations have shown that laser irradiation can induce a similar transformation at reduced pressure. The resulting polymeric phase, which is metastable under ambient conditions, releases energy through decomposition into more stable configurations. Using time-dependent density functional theory and Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the mechanism by which electronic excitation facilitates CO polymerization. Our calculations reveal that electronic excitation enhances carbon-carbon bonding, enabling polymerization at pressures significantly lower than those required by conventional compression methods. These findings suggest that a photo-assisted approach could be employed to synthesize novel, potentially energetic materials under less demanding pressure conditions.