Solid-phase synthesis of carbyne coatings under the thermodynamic action of an intense electron beam

The solid-phase graphite-to-carbyne transformation providing a high content of carbon phases with valence electron $sp$-hybridization is considered. Transformation takes place under the action of an intense electron beam. At the first stage of the process, a graphite target is sputtered by a 4-keV argon ion beam at a pressure of 6.6 $\times$ 10$^{-3}$ Pa to obtain a micrometer-thick carbon coating. At the second stage, the coating is subjected to thermal treatment by means of a pulsed 20-keV electron beam from 1 to 2 s wide. It is shown that direct solid-state graphite-to-carbyne phase transformation and crystallization of hexagonal carbyne occur at a fairly low temperature, 1500–1600 K, since the reaction goes at a low pressure of 2 $\times$ 10$^{-3}$ Pa.