Soot as a precursor for the low temperature synthesis of organometallic sodium carbide

The carbonaceous soot finds a wide range of applications in many fields due to the richness of various allotropes of carbon. The present work explores the possibility of least investigated sodium carbide (Na2C2) as a potential semiconducting material for photonic applications. The soot, formed by the incomplete combustion of gingelly oil is taken as the carbon precursor for the low-temperature synthesis of the industrially significant organometallic Na2C2. The morphological modifications are analyzed using High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope and elemental study is carried out by Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy and x-ray dot mapping. The formation of Na2C2 is primarily identified from x-ray powder diffraction pattern and further confirmed by other structural and thermal analysis techniques such as Fourier Transform Infrared, Raman spectroscopy, and Thermogravimetry. The region of optical absorption, bandgap, as well as its emission properties are studied by recording the Ultraviolet-Visible and Photoluminescence spectrum. The Tauc plot analysis suggests its semiconducting nature with direct bandgap energy of 2.08 eV. The analysis with the help of CIE, and power spectrum reveal a prominent blue emission around 440 nm irrespective of excitation in the UV region. Thus, the major highlights of this work lie in two factors- firstly, the effective utilization of the soot and secondly, easier low-temperature and cost-effective synthesis of semiconducting Na2C2 for photonic applications.