Finite-temperature stability of hydrocarbons: Fullerenes vs flakes

The effects of a finite temperature on the equilibrium structures of hydrocarbon molecules are computationally explored as a function of size and relative chemical composition in hydrogen and carbon. Using parallel tempering Monte Carlo simulations employing a reactive force field, we find that in addition to the phases already known for pure carbon, namely, cages, flakes, rings, and branched structures, strong changes due to temperature and the addition of little amounts of hydrogen are reported. Both entropy and the addition of moderate amounts of hydrogen favor planar structures such as nanoribbons over fullerenes. Accurate phase diagrams are proposed, highlighting the possible presence of multiple phase changes at finite size and composition. Astrophysical implications are also discussed.