Zirconium nitride as a highly efficient nitrogen source to synthesize the metal nitride clusterfullerenes

Metal nitride clusterfullerenes (NCFs) have significant applications in molecular electronics, biomedical imaging, and nonlinear optical devices due to their unique structures. However, their wide applications are limited by the production quantity. In this work, the yields of metal nitride clusterfullerenes M₃N@C₈₀ (M=Y, Sc, Gd) were greatly enhanced by utilizing zirconium nitride (ZrN) as an efficient nitrogen source for the arc-discharge method. Compared with the traditional synthetic route using N₂ gas as nitrogen source, the ZrN inside graphite tube can be vaporized simultaneously with metal and graphite, and then afford the high concentration of nitrogen atoms in the arc region, which will promote the formation of metal nitride clusterfullerenes finally. The ZrN can promote the yields of Y₃N@C₈₀, Sc₃N@C₈₀ and Gd₃N@C₈₀, revealing the universal applicability of ZrN as a highly efficient nitrogen source. Specifically, the yield of Sc₃N@C₈₀ was greatly improved when adding ZrN, and it shows over double yield compared to traditional synthetic route using N₂ gas. In addition, ZrN can also enhance the yields of paramagnetic azametallofullerene M₂@C₇₉N due to the high concentration of nitrogen atoms in the arc region. This new method enhances the production quantity of metal nitride clusterfullerenes and azametallofullerenes, and it will greatly promote the research and application of these molecular carbon materials. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].