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Updated: May 25, 2026

Functionalization of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes with Thermo-reversible Block Copolymers and Characterization by Small-angle Neutron Scattering
Published on: June 1, 2016
New insights into the characterization of 'insoluble black HCN polymers'
Marta Ruiz-Bermejo1, José L de la Fuente, Celia Rogero
1Centro de Astrobiología (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial), Carretera Torrejón-Ajalvir, Km 4, E-28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid. ruizbm@inta.es
Abstract:
The data presented here provide a novel contribution to the understanding of the structural features of HCN polymers and could be useful in further development of models for prebiotic chemistry. The interpretation of spectroscopic and analytical data, along with previous results reported by other authors, allowed us to propose a mechanism for the aqueous polymerization of HCN from its primary and simplest isolated oligomer, the diaminomaleonitrile (DAMN) tetramer. We suggest that 'insoluble black HCN polymers' are formed by an unsaturated complex matrix, which retains a significant amount of H(2) O and important bioorganic compounds or their precursors. This polymeric matrix can be formed by various motifs of imidazoles and cyclic amides, among others. The robust formation of HCN polymers assayed under several conditions seems to explain the plausible ubiquity of these complex substances in space.
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