ABSTRACT
Among all allotropic forms that the carbon element presents in nature, sp-hybridization is one of the most intriguing and elusive. With respect to sp (diamond) and sp (graphite, nanotubes, graphene), sp-hybridization has been less investigated, and only in the last decade has the scientific community been attracted by what the potential applications of sp-carbon-based materials can accomplish. The sp-carbon gives rise to atomic 1D wires, whose properties can be tuned and customized by varying the length, the structure, and the functional groups. Linear carbon chains can be classified based on their structure under the name of polyynes and cumulenes, and they represent the building blocks for developing nanostructured, 1D, molecular-based materials for organic electronics, optics, and energy-saving applications. The fabrication methods, the structure– function relationships, and the electronic and optical properties of carbon wires will be reviewed and critically analyzed.
