The irradiation of solid hydrocarbons and the formation of linear carbon chains

Irradiation of carbon based solid targets with energetic particles is usually thought to introduce undesirable phenomena such as disorder or graphitization. In some recent experiments we observed that ion irradiation of simple hydrocarbons in the electronic excitation regime leads to the formation of sp-hybridized carbon nanowires with well definite lengths. This has been discussed in view of possible applications in materials science and in the astrophysical field. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.